“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do”.
There is no turning point in agreeing artificial intelligence as a future for almost all fields. As a recent development in the healthcare sector, machine learning has gained importance and created an impact on the healthcare sector. Helping the healthcare providers and maximizing patient care. On click availability of chat bots for mental health assistance or any physical injury, pain, disease. Chat bots have become the new doctor or healthcare provider. Much research has focused on AI’s capability and capacity to give answers to complex situations, events, diseases, depicting the vast knowledge or command handling. It has done a commendable job in understanding human’s emotional state as well as human behavior.
A recent study done by Ayers et al., 2023 claims that online chatbot not only provided a higher quality of response than a physician but was also seen as more empathetic. Ai is outperforming the nurses in recognizing the facial expressions of distressed patients, adhering to their needs. In psychiatry, AI offers potential for improving suicide and violence risk assessments, each of which currently defy reliable prediction by mental health professionals (Bernert et al., 2020; Cockerill, 2020; Zheng et al., 2020).
Although the replacement is a tricky thing to answer, it is established that AI assistance can definitely act as a good screening or adjunct tool, which helps in screening patients on the basis of severity, accuracy and urgency. Which helps in increasing efficiency and patient care. There are several ethical guidelines that a clinician needs to follow which are usually ignored or not followed by AI chat bots or apps.
“Doing no harm is the first principle of ethical AI system”
Let’s look at the steps taken by ai assisted app developers to minimize the harm or risk caused by a machine.
Ethical Excellence: Stella Co-Pilot Navigating AI-Assisted Therapy with Integrity
- Accountability- There is a concern that AI developers might avoid being held responsible if they don’t act ethically and if their roles and legal responsibilities are not clear (Jobin et al. 2019). For instance, developers of mental health apps using AI should be accountable if their algorithms give unsafe advice to users. A serious example would be if someone tells an app they are thinking about suicide and the app gives poor or dangerous advice. If an app gives unsafe recommendations, users should know how to contact the developers. To make AI development more accountable, developers should explain how their systems might cause harm and set up ways for people to report potential dangers.
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot ensures accountability by maintaining transparent documentation and tracking of patient interactions. By integrating transcription features and detailed patient history tracking, it provides a clear audit trail that can be reviewed and analyzed. This transparency in documentation helps ensure that any issues or unsafe recommendations can be promptly identified and addressed, holding developers accountable for the safety and efficacy of their algorithms.
- Trustworthiness- Whether AI improves the efficiency and safety of health systems, cuts health costs, and enhances mental health care depends a lot on how much people trust it. AI developers need to show they are honest, skilled, and dependable to make credible claims about their AI systems (O’Neill 2013; Spiegelhalter 2020).
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot builds trust by enabling clinicians to make informed decisions based on comprehensive, accurate data. By incorporating DSM-5 and ICD-11 diagnostic criteria and codes, it ensures that diagnoses are consistent and credible. The tool’s ability to monitor patient progress and provide detailed insights into treatment effectiveness further enhances its reliability and dependability, fostering trust among both clinicians and patients.
- Transparency- Transparency means AI mental health apps should clearly explain how they use user data, how the AI interacts with users, and how it makes decisions. This information should be easy to find and understand. Transparency also means that users and therapists agree on how the AI will use user information during therapy. Privacy is also important, which includes protecting user data from loss and preventing unauthorized access to it.
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot ensures transparency by providing clear explanations of how patient data is used and stored. The platform’s detailed documentation features make it easy for clinicians and patients to understand how the AI processes and utilizes information. By safeguarding data privacy and enabling secure access, Stella ensures that user data is protected and that its use is transparent to all parties involved.
- Justice- In psychotherapy, the principles of justice, fairness, and equity cover two main areas. First, providing access to mental health treatment for those who otherwise wouldn’t get it. Second, preventing bias and discrimination in AI for mental health, ensuring diversity and inclusion in data and algorithms. AI developers must ensure their apps are effective and safe for diverse populations worldwide. Related to justice, sustainability means helping create fairer societies by closing the mental health treatment gap. Solidarity involves using AI to extend mental health benefits to more people. Although mental health apps could help the 45% of the global population with smartphones (Statista 2020), there are still major barriers for those without smartphones, internet access, or digital.
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot promotes justice by incorporating diverse data sets and algorithms designed to be inclusive and equitable. It ensures that the diagnostic and treatment planning tools are effective for a wide range of populations, addressing potential biases. By streamlining the documentation process and making mental health care more efficient, it also helps reduce the treatment gap, making high-quality mental health services more accessible to underserved communities.
- Beneficence– The principle of beneficence means ensuring that AI in mental health care improves users’ well-being and supports their healing process. Non-maleficence means making sure the AI is safe and doesn’t accidentally cause harm. For example, AI tools should tell users to seek immediate medical help if they might harm themselves or others and should avoid giving users a false sense of security.
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot upholds the principle of beneficence by providing clinicians with tools that enhance patient care and well-being. Its detailed tracking of patient progress and the ability to modify treatment plans based on real-time data ensures that care is continuously optimized. Additionally, by integrating alerts and recommendations for immediate medical help when necessary, Stella ensures that the AI supports safe and effective treatment, minimizing the risk of harm.
- Cultural sensitivity- Cultural sensitivity in AI chatbots used for therapy is essential for providing effective and respectful mental health care. By incorporating diverse training data, recognizing cultural nuances, and personalizing interactions based on users’ cultural backgrounds, these chatbots can better understand and respond to the unique needs of individuals. This approach builds trust and engagement, ensuring users feel heard and respected. Moreover, culturally sensitive AI can improve therapy outcomes by offering relevant interventions and support, making mental health care more accessible and equitable for diverse populations. Ultimately, prioritizing cultural sensitivity helps prevent harm and aligns with ethical practices, fostering a more inclusive approach to mental health treatment.
Stella’s Clinical Co-Pilot emphasizes cultural sensitivity by using diverse training data and personalized interaction models that respect and acknowledge cultural differences. This ensures that the care provided is relevant and effective across various cultural contexts, enhancing the inclusivity and equity of mental health services.
“AI is a tool. The choice of how it gets deployed is ours”.
In conclusion, the incorporation of Stella Clinical Co-Pilot in AI-assisted therapy represents a significant leap forward in prioritizing ethical considerations and ensuring the delivery of high-quality mental health care. By upholding principles of accountability, trustworthiness, transparency, justice, beneficence, and cultural sensitivity, Stella Co-Pilot sets a new standard for ethical practice in the field. Its comprehensive features, including transparent documentation, diverse data integration, and personalized interaction models, not only enhance the effectiveness and accessibility of mental health services but also foster a culture of trust and inclusivity. As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-assisted therapy, Stella Co-Pilot stands as a beacon of ethical excellence, guiding clinicians and patients alike towards improved well-being and healing.
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