Attitudes on Artificial Intelligence use in Pediatric Care From Parents of Hospitalized Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare
• Medical Artificial Intelligence
• Bioethics

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) presents potential benefits for pediatric healthcare but also raises ethical and practical concerns.
• Parental acceptance is crucial for advancing AI in pediatric medicine.
• Limited research exists on parental attitudes toward AI in pediatric healthcare, particularly concerning hospitalized children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess parental attitudes toward the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatric healthcare.
• To identify specific areas of concern and factors influencing parental acceptance of AI in pediatric medicine.
• To compare attitudes between parents of children admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and those not admitted.

Main Methods:

• A validated survey, Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare, was administered to parents of hospitalized children.
• Data were collected from 76 parents at a single tertiary children's hospital between November 2021 and May 2022.
• Subgroup analyses used Mann-Whitney U tests to examine the impact of demographics and clinical factors on AI attitudes.

Main Results:

• The study achieved an 84% response rate (76 out of 90 approached parents).
• Overall, parents expressed openness to AI in pediatric medicine, with social justice, convenience, privacy, and shared decision-making as key concerns.
• Parents of children admitted to the ICU demonstrated significantly different attitudes toward AI compared to other parents.

Conclusions:

• Parents are generally supportive of AI-assisted healthcare decision-making.
• Further research is needed to understand the distinct attitudes of parents with children in the ICU.
• Establishing clear pathways for transparency and disclosure is essential to meet parental expectations regarding AI in healthcare.