The CARE-AI Study: Creating Accountable and Responsive Ethics for Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare.
Dear Colleague,
We are writing to invite you to participate in a consensus building process that aims to validate digital professionalism and AI usage guidelines for healthcare providers. We have chosen a two-phased, modified Delphi approach with focus groups and rounds of surveys completed by experts, which will help in defining a set of principles and guidelines that will create a framework for professionalism standards in artificial intelligence use in healthcare. We are in the fourth phase of this project. We have 30 completed surveys and we are aiming for 100. Can you help?
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare systems has ushered in a new era of medical practice and administration, a transformative development that is reshaping the landscape of healthcare. As AI technologies become increasingly pervasive, they offer unprecedented opportunities for enhancing patient care, improving health outcomes, and streamlining administrative processes. However, the rapid adoption of these technologies also presents a unique set of challenges, particularly in the realm of professional ethics and conduct.
You have been identified as having the needed expertise for this study and have qualified to participate in this consensus process.
We are in the final phase of our project before public dissemination. To recap what we have done:
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Phase 1 (April to August 2024): Adapted the 2011 social media guidelines for AI professionalism by the research study team.
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Phase 2 (September to November 2024): Refined AI professionalism principles through workshops at Academy for Professionalism in Health Care (APHC) 2024 and The International Summit on Leadership Education for Physicians (TISLEP) 2024, with a summit theme of Ethical Integration of AI in Health Education.
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Phase 3 (December to January 2025): Conducted separate, iterative focus groups with subject matter experts from AI/technology, equity/professionalism, and interprofessional education.
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Phase 4 (February to April 2025): Consists of modified Delphi rounds, a structured process for reaching expert consensus through iterative surveys, for further refinement to ensure this framework will guide healthcare professionals in applying AI in ways that prioritize fairness, equity, and person-centered care.
We are now in Phase 4, Round 1 of the modified Delphi. This follows insights from three focus groups and investigator debriefs. Multiple survey rounds will be conducted until consensus is achieved, finalizing the principles for the ethical use of AI in healthcare.
Surveys will be conducted online and remain open for 4 weeks. Completion of each survey will take approximately 15- 30 minutes. All data will be de‐identified. Your email address and name, if you provide them for follow up rounds of the survey, will be stored separately from your responses. Your survey responses will be assigned a code and you will not be identifiable in any documents or publications. You can withdraw from the study at any time prior to submitting your responses. Because your responses are anonymous, we will not be able to remove them after submission.
If there are others that you would like to believe should be involved in this study, please forward this email or link to them.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, one of my co‐investigators, or the research ethics boards listed below.
Sincerely,
Primary Co-Investigator, CARE-AI Study
Co-Investigators
Research Ethics Boards:
University of Alberta, (780) 492-2615, Ethics ID Pro00143413
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Lyn K. Sonnenberg
Former Associate Dean, Educational Innovation & Ac Tech
Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
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