Implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-supported communication tools in healthcare: System-level perspectives

Quality patient-clinician communication is critical to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have increased the potential to develop technologies to evaluate and support patient-clinician communication. One example is CommSense, an AI-supported communication technology designed by our team to record and analyze clinical conversations and provide clinicians with actionable, tailored feedback to enhance communication performance.

To explore system-level considerations to successfully implement communication technologies into healthcare contexts, using CommSense as an example case.

This descriptive qualitative study used a purposive sampling strategy to recruit participants with communication expertise across four categories: administrators; industry; policymakers; and scientists. Semi-structured interviews focused on: 1) general barriers to patient-clinician communication; and 2) implementation considerations for integrating communication technologies into healthcare systems. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, verified, and then analyzed using a combination of inductive and deductive coding strategies to identify broader patterns and themes.

Participants (n=13) discussed general barriers to quality communication between patients and clinicians, including: inadequate clinician communication training; generalized versus tailored patient communication; and hesitancy to initiate conversations with patients regarding difficult or sensitive issues, such as advance care planning. System-level implementation considerations focused on: the importance of integrating AI-supported communication technologies within existing health system infrastructure, clinical workflows, and policies and procedures; engagement of champions throughout the implementation process; and intentionality with the design and delivery of communication performance feedback. Participants also emphasized the particular benefit of communication technologies to support trainees and their learning.

AI-supported communication technologies have the potential to address persistent barriers to quality communication within healthcare. Our findings demonstrate the importance of including decision-makers and outside experts across multiple domains to ensure successful implementation of AI-supported communication tools within complex healthcare systems.