The head of the UW-Oshkosh College of Nursing says addressing ethical and privacy concerns around the use of AI in health care is essential as the technology becomes more widespread.
Dean Seon Yoon Chung spoke during a recent hearing in Madison held by the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, created earlier this year by Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester. Task force members have been gathering insights from subject matter experts ahead of producing a report on their findings.
Chung discussed various applications of AI in health care, including assisting doctors with imaging and analyzing diseases such as cancer, interpreting test results and providing evidence-based recommendations, as well as robotics.
“There are AI-assisted robotics systems that enhance the precision and the capabilities of surgeons during complex procedures,” she said last week. “So these systems can provide real-time feedback and assist with those delicate tasks, and lead to improved surgical outcomes, which does help with the cost.”
While these and other applications are already being employed in the health care industry, she raised the issue of how sensitive patient information is being used by AI systems. Chung said in some cases this information is being used “not as intended” when it was originally collected.
“It is essential to address those ethical and privacy concerns while implementing these technologies in the health care ecosystem,” she said, adding HIPAA privacy and security standards provide a framework for decision making.
She noted the American Medical Association has also published guidelines for developing and using AI in health care, which specify that oversight should come from not only the government, but from the health care systems and professional societies as well.
As more care providers assess and integrate AI technologies, Chung said working with specialist consultants and vendors will help that transition go smoothly.
“The purpose of using AI in health care is to enhance the person’s ability to do his or her job,” she said. “The new AI technology must be easy to use, and must fit into the user’s existing workflow. And that’s why workflow integration is another key, critical success factor.”
Watch the hearing: https://wiseye.org/2023/12/06/speakers-task-force-on-artificial-intelligence-2/
See the AMA guidelines here: https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/ama-ai-principles.pdf
–By Alex Moe