Adapting Clinical Ethics Consultations to Address Ethical Issues of Artificial Intelligence

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into clinical workflows.
• AI integration raises novel ethical issues distinct from traditional clinical ethics consultations.
• Current approaches to clinical ethics consultations may not adequately address AI-specific challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a framework for adapting clinical ethics consultations to address AI-related ethical issues.
• To develop targeted questions and recognize essential information for AI ethics consultations.
• To illustrate the application of this framework through hypothetical case studies.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development for AI ethics consultations.
• Analysis of ethical distinctions between traditional and AI-related issues.
• Presentation of three case studies involving AI in clinical scenarios.
• Discussion of clinical AI within the context of ethics consultations.

Main Results:

• The article proposes an 'AI lens' to adapt existing consultation methods.
• Case studies demonstrate practical application of the framework for guiding discussions.
• The analysis highlights the need for specialized approaches to AI ethics in healthcare.

Conclusions:

• Clinical ethics consultations require adaptation to effectively address the unique ethical challenges posed by AI.
• Further attention and development are needed in this critical area of healthcare ethics.
• Proactive engagement with AI ethics is crucial for responsible implementation in clinical practice.