Research project Regulating Artificially Intelligent Diagnostic Algorithms in Orthopaedic Medicine
Research project within DDLS and WASP-HS which aim to investigate how the implementation of AI can be promoted in healthcare, and what ethical and legal aspects such implementation should take into account.
Digitalisation within society is occurring at a rapid pace and emerging technologies incorporating elements of artificial intelligence (AI) are impacting all facets of society. The benefits of AI are numerous and are usually measured in terms of cost-effectiveness and efficiency. However, the uptake of AI within medicine has been slow, which can be attributed to the complexities surrounding its application within the heath care environment. This project aims to promote the uptake of AI within orthopaedic medicine by identifying which form it should take, at which point in the patient diagnostic and treatment process it can most effectively be applied as well as which ethical and legal values it should incorporate.
Project description
This project aims to produce a schematic blueprint for the development and application of an orthopaedic medicine AI algorithm that will suggest the optimal course of action in relation to acute injury treatment, thereby assisting specialists with the decision-making processes. While orthopaedic medicine is often less subjective than many other specialties, it covers a vast spectrum of diagnoses and injuries. It is therefore much more complex than e.g. mammography screening where AI is becoming commonplace and is thus an interesting starting point for applying a general medical AI. Furthermore, in orthopaedics, patient autonomy is essential as outcomes rarely involve life or death. Therefore, besides purely medical indicators, factors such as fear of pain, loss of function and motivation will also be of relevance in deciding the optimal treatment option. The proposed orthopaedic diagnostic and treatment algorithm will therefore provide a framework for balancing medical factors as well as promoting the patient’s autonomy by suggesting a course of action that factors in a patient’s personal circumstances. This is of legal significance where legal concepts such as autonomy are not only promoted in traditional written law but must be embedded in the technology already at the development stage. This project will produce an algorithm blueprint that is medically sound, human-centric and ethically and legally complaint, thereby promoting its application within orthopaedic medicine.
Project members
Project managers
Stanley Joel Greenstein
Universitetslektor, docent
