Young Folks Welcome AI in Healthcare: The New Era

Published Date: 10/07/2024

A recent survey reveals that children and young adults are generally positive about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, with the majority supporting its integration into modern healthcare.

"The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has been a topic of discussion for some time now. However, little attention has been paid to the views of the younger generation on the use of AI in their healthcare. A recent survey, led by Professor Susan Shelmerdine of UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Dr. Lauren Lee, a Young Facilitator in the GOSH Young Persons’ Advisory Group, set out to change this.

The survey, which was co-developed with a steering committee of patients and carers from the GOSH YPAG and GOSH parents and Carer Advisory Group (PCAG), asked children and young people aged six to 23 years old across the UK for their views on how they would like AI to be used to enhance their healthcare. The results were encouraging, with the majority of respondents expressing positivity towards the use of AI in healthcare.

The survey found that young people were keen for AI to be used in healthcare, particularly if it could improve their care and outcomes. However, they also emphasized the importance of human oversight, with many respondents stating that they would prefer AI tools to be supervised by healthcare professionals. This was especially true when it came to radiology, where respondents felt that AI would be accurate at finding problems on bone X-rays, but wanted to ensure that the results were reviewed by a trusted doctor.

The study's findings are already being incorporated into research based at GOSH, which is evaluating and developing AI tools to better detect and describe fractures from a large dataset of x-ray scans in children across Britain. The online survey was sent out to schools, universities, and charity partners, encouraging children and young adults to respond over a one-year period.

Professor Shelmerdine, lead researcher on the study, said  'The number of trained children’s radiologists in the UK is relatively small, so tools like AI could help upskill our workforce to enable more equitable care for patients who don’t have the option to visit specialist hospitals like GOSH.'

Dr. Lauren Lee, study co-lead and Young Facilitator, added  'There are a lot of discussions about how AI can help to facilitate healthcare. Until this study, no one has really asked the younger generation how we feel about it, especially as we will be growing up alongside AI developments.'

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

  information 

UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health is a leading research institute that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children. The institute is based at University College London and works closely with Great Ormond Street Hospital.

GOSH Young Persons’ Advisory Group (YPAG) is a group of young people who work with Great Ormond Street Hospital to ensure that young people’s views are considered in healthcare research and development.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is a UK-based organization that funds and supports health and care research."

FAQs:

"Q: What was the main objective of the survey?

A: The main objective of the survey was to gather the views of children and young adults on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Q: What was the age range of the survey respondents?

A: The survey respondents were aged six to 23 years old.

Q: What did the survey find about young people's views on AI in radiology?

A: The survey found that young people believed AI would be accurate at finding problems on bone X-rays, but wanted to ensure that the results were reviewed by a trusted doctor.

Q: What is the goal of the research being conducted at GOSH?

A: The goal of the research is to develop AI tools that can create written reports direct from radiology images and allow patients to ask the AI questions about their imaging.

Q: Who funded the study?

A: The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)."

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