Isis spinout’s software aims to fix healthcare postcode lottery
19th August 2014
Award-winning software which guides doctors and patients through the scientific and clinical information they need to make the best and safest decisions has been developed by Deontics, a spin-out from Oxford University Innovation, Oxford’s research commercialisation company.
The Deontics software gathers, processes and presents scientific and clinical information, allowing a personalised treatment guide to be generated for each patient. A Deontics system has already been used to manage the treatment of thousands of breast cancer patients at the Royal Free Hospital in London, UK, where it was shown to increase compliance with clinical guidelines.
Deontics has secured £700k of investment from a group of high net worth investors including former head of technology investments at Apax Partners, John McMonigall. McMonigall has joined Deontics as Chairman.
The Deontics technology was invented and refined over ten years by Professor John Fox and his team at the Engineering Department at the University of Oxford.
Professor Fox said:
‘Patient safety and improving patient outcomes are at the heart of why we developed this software.
‘All patients should have access to healthcare guided by the very latest scientific and clinical evidence. We would like to give all doctors the tools and information to make best-practice decisions for each and every patient, ensuring that even patients in the most remote areas receive gold-standard treatment. Our software will also give patients information that doctors have, in a lay format.’
John McMonigall said:
‘In all my years of investing in software companies, the Deontics opportunity is one of the most exciting because it has the potential to improve patient experiences and outcomes throughout the world.’
It is currently time-consuming and difficult for doctors to gather data tailored to each patient, and patient outcomes for similar conditions vary between hospitals and regions. With the Deontics software, clinicians can instantly view at the point of care up-to-date basic science, clinical trial output, and national and international clinical guidelines evidence, tailored for individual patients. The software’s clinical audit capability logs a record of decisions at every step in a patient’s treatment.
Deontics CEO Guy Wood-Gush said:
‘We think of Deontics’ software as a “Satnav” guiding patients and clinicians through decision-making pathways. It allows physicians to provide best-in-class care and also increases patients’ understanding and involvement in their own care.’
The software is now being implemented at a top 5 US national and international hospital chain with a view to roll-out across their international footprint in all clinical domains. Deontics has also produced a decision support system for thyroid nodules for the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and is working on diabetes management systems for AACE. The company has good interest from key service providers to roll out its software in global markets including the USA and UK.
Tom Hockaday, managing director of Oxford University Innovation said:
‘This is an excellent example of Oxford-developed technology which is improving patient experience and results and reducing healthcare costs.’
The technology was funded by Cancer Research UK, University College London, University of Oxford, the Royal Free Charity.
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