Assisting, Replicating, or Autonomously Acting? An Ethical Framework for Integrating AI Tools and Technologies in...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare technology ethics
• Medical artificial intelligence
• Clinical decision support systems

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare, presenting opportunities for enhanced access and outcomes.
• Potential benefits include improved resource allocation and diagnostic accuracy, alongside concerns regarding data privacy, bias, and accountability.
• Existing literature lacks a comprehensive ethical framework for evaluating AI in healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an ethical framework for evaluating AI-mediated healthcare delivery.
• To assess the impact of AI on human-centered patient care.
• To guide the design and implementation of AI in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel ethical framework based on Pellegrino's patient-doctor relationship concepts.
• The framework utilizes two axes: patient engagement spectrum and clinician's role.
• Applied the framework to analyze various AI applications in healthcare.

Main Results:

• AI tools with minimal patient interaction and primarily physician support present fewer ethical challenges.
• Fully patient-facing or autonomous AI systems raise significant ethical concerns, potentially reducing the human-centric nature of care.
• The framework differentiates ethical considerations based on AI's role and patient interaction level.

Conclusions:

• The proposed ethical framework provides a structured approach to evaluating AI in healthcare.
• It highlights the trade-offs between AI's capabilities and the preservation of human-centered patient care.
• The framework supports informed decision-making for the responsible integration of AI into clinical practice.