⚡ Quick Summary
A recent study surveyed 610 bereaved families of cancer patients to explore their needs regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in palliative care. The findings revealed that over 80% of families desired AI solutions for symptom management and discussions with healthcare providers.
🔍 Key Details
- 📊 Participants: 610 bereaved family members
- 🧩 Focus: Needs and opinions on AI in end-of-life care
- ⚙️ Methodology: Web-based questionnaire survey
- 🏆 Key Findings: High demand for AI in symptom management and communication
🔑 Key Takeaways
- 💡 Over 80% of families wanted AI to assist healthcare providers in symptom treatment.
- 📞 79.7% expressed interest in AI recommendations for discussions with healthcare providers.
- 🔍 74.4% supported the use of AI in the medical field.
- ⚠️ Concerns: 79.7% worried about accountability and 61.6% about data privacy.
- 🎯 Priority Areas: Development of AI solutions focusing on symptom management and facilitating discussions.
- 📜 Ethical Considerations: Need for principles and guidance for ethical AI usage in healthcare.
📚 Background
The integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare, particularly in palliative care, has gained significant attention. Understanding the needs of patients and their families is essential for the successful implementation of AI technologies. This study addresses a gap in research regarding the perspectives of bereaved families of cancer patients, focusing on their expectations and concerns about AI in end-of-life care.
🗒️ Study
Conducted through a web-based survey, this study aimed to gather insights from bereaved family members of cancer patients. The survey explored their needs and opinions regarding the application of AI in palliative care, particularly in managing symptoms and facilitating communication with healthcare providers.
📈 Results
The analysis of responses from 610 bereaved families revealed that a significant majority, over 80%, desired AI solutions that could assist healthcare providers in symptom management. Additionally, 79.7% of respondents expressed a wish for AI recommendations to enhance discussions with healthcare professionals. However, concerns regarding accountability and data privacy were also prominent, with 79.7% and 61.6% of families, respectively, voicing these issues.
🌍 Impact and Implications
The findings of this study highlight the critical role that AI could play in improving palliative care for cancer patients. By focusing on symptom management and enhancing communication between families and healthcare providers, AI has the potential to significantly improve the quality of end-of-life care. However, addressing ethical concerns and ensuring accountability will be essential for the successful integration of AI technologies in this sensitive area of healthcare.
🔮 Conclusion
This study underscores the importance of understanding the needs of bereaved families in the context of AI in palliative care. The desire for AI solutions that prioritize symptom management and facilitate communication is clear. Moving forward, it is crucial to develop ethical guidelines and principles to ensure that AI is used responsibly and effectively in healthcare settings. The future of AI in palliative care looks promising, but it must be approached with care and consideration.
💬 Your comments
What are your thoughts on the integration of AI in palliative care? How do you think it could improve the experience for patients and their families? 💬 Share your insights in the comments below or connect with us on social media:
Needs of bereaved families of patients with cancer towards artificial intelligence in palliative care: A web-based survey.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Artificial intelligence (AI) systems in palliative care have garnered attention and popularity in recent years. Understanding patient and family needs is crucial for developing and implementing AI systems in palliative care. Few studies in palliative care have focused on the demands of terminal patients with cancer and their families toward AI. This study aimed to explore the application of advanced AI in palliative care, focusing on high priority areas, while also analyzing bereaved relatives’ perspectives on AI’s role in supporting patients with cancer during end-of-life care.
METHODS: We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey among bereaved family members of deceased patients with cancer. We explored the needs and opinions of the bereaved families regarding using AI for end-of-life care.
RESULTS: We analyzed responses from 610 bereaved families. More than 80 % of mourning families wanted AI solutions that could offer the best approach to treat symptoms to health care providers, patients, or informal caregivers, with 79.7 % wishing for AI recommendations for discussions with health care providers. Furthermore, 74.4 % supported AI use in the medical field, while 79.7 % were concerned about accountability and 61.6 % about data leakage.
CONCLUSION: The survey found that development of AI solutions focusing on symptom management and facilitating discussion is the highest priority. Furthermore, this study suggested developing principles and guidance to ensure ethical AI usage is essential.
Author: [‘Masukawa K’, ‘Hirayama H’, ‘Tagami K’, ‘Kawashima A’, ‘Chiu SW’, ‘Ito K’, ‘Matsuzaka S’, ‘Aoyama M’, ‘Mori M’]
Journal: Eur J Oncol Nurs
Citation: Masukawa K, et al. Needs of bereaved families of patients with cancer towards artificial intelligence in palliative care: A web-based survey. Needs of bereaved families of patients with cancer towards artificial intelligence in palliative care: A web-based survey. 2025; 76:102875. doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2025.102875