A “Third Wheel” Effect in Health Decision Making Involving Artificial Entities: A Psychological Perspective

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Stefano Triberti¹  Ilaria Durosini²  Gabriella Pravettoni¹ 

[1] Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan;Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS

关键词: decision making;    artificial intelligence;    ehealth;    patient-doctor relationship;    technology acceptance;    healthcare process;    patient-centered medicine;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2020.00117

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

In the near future, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to participate more and more in decision making processes, in contexts ranging from healthcare to politics. For example, in the healthcare context, doctors will increasingly use AI and machine learning devices to improve precision in diagnosis and to identify therapy regimens. One hot topic regards the necessity for health professionals to adapt shared decision making with patients to include the contribution of AI into clinical practice, such as acting as mediators between the patient with his or her healthcare needs and the recommendations coming from artificial entities. In this scenario, a “third wheel” effect may intervene, potentially affecting the effectiveness of shared decision making in three different ways: first, clinical decisions could be delayed or paralyzed when AI recommendations are difficult to understand or to explain to patients; second, patients' symptomatology and medical diagnosis could be misinterpreted when adapting them to AI classifications; third, there may be confusion about the roles and responsibilities of the protagonists in the healthcare process (e.g., Who really has authority?). This contribution delineates such effects and tries to identify the impact of AI technology on the healthcare process, with a focus on future medical practice.

【 授权许可】

CC BY