Project Summary
Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to transform health care. This is especially true in the fast-paced environment of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Along with the potential benefits that may result from AI-based approaches, there are also downsides. This is especially true if AI use negatively affects the crucial roles of NICU families in clinical decision making as well as ongoing assessments of care.
Proposed Solution to the Problem: The project team will convene a two-day conference of family, clinician, and technology stakeholders to examine issues related to AI use in the NICU. Based on input from family stakeholders, the team will initially focus on three themes: decision making, communication, and consistency. This project will be based at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Objectives: The objectives of this project and conference will be:
- To ensure that the transformations caused by AI use are positive ones guided by the preferences and priorities of those who could benefit from these innovative technologies.
- To develop a research agenda related to family-centered perspectives of AI in the NICU.
- To identify opportunities for new collaborations and research activities.
Activities: Prior to the proposed conference, the team will update an existing review of literature related to AI use in neonatal intensive care. Based on this updated review and subsequent discussion by the conference oversight group, the team will identify potential new topics for discussion and additional conference attendees to round out the stakeholder group. The team will hold a two-day conference to bring together multiple family, clinician, and technology stakeholders with expertise in family-centered care, experience-based codesign, collaborative quality improvement, clinical research, international health, medical ethics, regionalized care, clinical informatics, and AI technologies.
Outcomes and Outputs (projected): The proceedings of the conference and developed research agenda will be prepared for publication and presentations will be created for use in conferences such as those held by the Vermont Oxford Network.
Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: Family, clinician, and technology stakeholders have been engaged throughout the development of this conference application. This involvement will continue throughout the project period. The team will hold monthly planning webinars before and following the proposed conference. Family stakeholders will be involved in these calls, in the identification of topics and speakers for the conference, and the development of content for the conference. They will lead several sessions during the conference and will participate in the writing of the conference summary and the research agenda.
Project Collaborators: A number of organizations are collaborating on this conference including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the Vermont Oxford Network, The Institute for Patient- and Family- Centered Care, and the Northern New England Perinatal Quality Improvement Network (NNEPQUIN) as well as Learning Health Systems IBM Research – Cambridge.