ieso granted U.S. patent for use of AI and tech to improve mental health provision
- ieso is the first company to deliver text-based online cognitive behavioural therapy at scale
- ieso’s unique approach involves significant investment in improving how psychotherapy is delivered to improve patient outcomes and recovery levels
- Application of the approach has contributed to rise in recovery rates from 43% to 65%, in a patient cohort adjusted for presenting condition
ieso announced June 29 that is has been granted a new patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent covers a computer-implemented method of analysing text-based messages between patients diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, and their therapists. The patent is a foundational piece of ieso’s intellectual property portfolio which will continue to grow over the coming years.
ieso’s online text-based approach to therapy removes several of the barriers to accessing traditional face-to-face therapy whilst also creating large, anonymised datasets from up to 3,400 hours of therapy sessions each week. ieso is leveraging artificial intelligence to analyse the anonymised data resulting from these conversations between patients and therapists, to unearth clinical insights that are ultimately support improved patient outcomes.
Through analysing text-based messages ieso is able to identify specific features and characteristics of conversations that predict clinical outcomes. Specifically, ieso is able to identify the correlation between certain phrases and whether the therapy is likely to be successful in helping a patient. Integrating the AI algorithm into the therapy platform enables it to inform therapy session on both an individual and widescale basis, helping to improve recovery rates.
The resulting datasets also allow therapists to gain a better understanding of the symptoms being presented by their patients and provides an additional layer of support for therapists, allowing them to be better equipped to treat them.
Nigel Pitchford, Chief Executive Officer at ieso, commented:
"This patent is a critical milestone in our efforts to improve mental health outcomes for all patients. We are at the forefront of using data and AI to improve patient outcomes and this is a recognition of the uniqueness of our work.
Mental health is high on the agenda, but currently less than 50% of people who present for therapy recover. The work ieso is doing is a significant step-forward in better understanding the correlation between patient symptoms and recovery rates. We are the first organisation to anonymously analyse conversations between patients and therapists at this scale and we are applying the insights gained through our analysis to support therapists in understanding patient symptoms, making therapy more accessible and improving recovery rates.
We have been working for a long time to solidify our intellectual property portfolio and this initial patent is just the first of many.”
