Racine Nicole, Chow Cheryl, Hamwi Lojain, Bucsea Oana, Cheng Carol, Du Hang, Fabrizi Lorenzo, Jasim Sara, Johannsson Lesley, Jones Laura, Laudiano-Dray Maria Pureza, Meek Judith, Mistry Neelum, Shah Vibhuti, Stedman Ian, Wang Xiaogang, Riddell Rebecca Pillai
School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
JMIR AI. 2024 Feb 9;3:e51535. doi: 10.2196/51535.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for pain assessment has the potential to address historical challenges in infant pain assessment. There is a dearth of information on the perceived benefits and barriers to the implementation of AI for neonatal pain monitoring in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from the perspective of health care professionals (HCPs) and parents. This qualitative analysis provides novel data obtained from 2 large tertiary care hospitals in Canada and the United Kingdom.
The aim of the study is to explore the perspectives of HCPs and parents regarding the use of AI for pain assessment in the NICU.
In total, 20 HCPs and 20 parents of preterm infants were recruited and consented to participate from February 2020 to October 2022 in interviews asking about AI use for pain assessment in the NICU, potential benefits of the technology, and potential barriers to use.
The 40 participants included 20 HCPs (17 women and 3 men) with an average of 19.4 (SD 10.69) years of experience in the NICU and 20 parents (mean age 34.4, SD 5.42 years) of preterm infants who were on average 43 (SD 30.34) days old. Six themes from the perspective of HCPs were identified: regular use of technology in the NICU, concerns with regard to AI integration, the potential to improve patient care, requirements for implementation, AI as a tool for pain assessment, and ethical considerations. Seven parent themes included the potential for improved care, increased parental distress, support for parents regarding AI, the impact on parent engagement, the importance of human care, requirements for integration, and the desire for choice in its use. A consistent theme was the importance of AI as a tool to inform clinical decision-making and not replace it.
HCPs and parents expressed generally positive sentiments about the potential use of AI for pain assessment in the NICU, with HCPs highlighting important ethical considerations. This study identifies critical methodological and ethical perspectives from key stakeholders that should be noted by any team considering the creation and implementation of AI for pain monitoring in the NICU.
使用人工智能（AI）进行疼痛评估有潜力解决婴儿疼痛评估中的历史挑战。从医疗保健专业人员（HCPs）和家长的角度来看，关于在新生儿重症监护病房（NICU）中实施AI进行新生儿疼痛监测的感知益处和障碍的信息匮乏。这项定性分析提供了从加拿大和英国的两家大型三级护理医院获得的新数据。
本研究的目的是探讨HCPs和家长对在NICU中使用AI进行疼痛评估的看法。
从2020年2月至2022年10月，共招募了20名HCPs和20名早产儿家长，并征得他们同意参与访谈，询问有关在NICU中使用AI进行疼痛评估、该技术的潜在益处以及使用的潜在障碍。
40名参与者包括20名HCPs（17名女性和3名男性），他们在NICU的平均工作经验为19.4年（标准差10.69），以及20名早产儿家长（平均年龄34.4岁，标准差5.42岁），其子女平均年龄为43天（标准差30.34）。从HCPs的角度确定了六个主题：NICU中技术的常规使用、对AI整合的担忧、改善患者护理的潜力、实施要求、AI作为疼痛评估工具以及伦理考量。七个家长主题包括护理改善的潜力、家长痛苦增加、对家长在AI方面的支持、对家长参与的影响、人文护理的重要性、整合要求以及对其使用选择的渴望。一个一致的主题是AI作为辅助临床决策而非取代临床决策的工具的重要性。
HCPs和家长对在NICU中使用AI进行疼痛评估的潜在用途普遍表达了积极看法，HCPs强调了重要的伦理考量。本研究确定了关键利益相关者的关键方法学和伦理观点，任何考虑创建和实施用于NICU疼痛监测的AI的团队都应予以关注。
