Balancing Efficiency and Empathy: Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on AI-Supported Workflows for Serious Illness Conversations in the Emergency Department
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866910088851095552 |
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| author | Zhao, Menglin Yong, Zhuorui Guan, Ruijia Chang, Kai-Wei Haimovich, Adrian Ouchi, Kei Bickmore, Timothy Zhang, Zhan Yao, Bingsheng Wang, Dakuo Desai, Smit |
| author_facet | Zhao, Menglin Yong, Zhuorui Guan, Ruijia Chang, Kai-Wei Haimovich, Adrian Ouchi, Kei Bickmore, Timothy Zhang, Zhan Yao, Bingsheng Wang, Dakuo Desai, Smit |
| contents | Serious Illness Conversations (SICs), discussions about values and care preferences for patients with life-threatening illness, rarely occur in Emergency Departments (EDs), despite evidence that early conversations improve care alignment and reduce unnecessary interventions. We interviewed 11 ED providers to identify challenges in SICs and opportunities for technology support, with a focus on AI. Our analysis revealed a four-stage SIC workflow (identification, preparation, conduction, documentation) and barriers at each stage, including fragmented patient information, limited time and space, lack of conversational guidance, and burdensome documentation. Providers expressed interest in AI systems for synthesizing information, supporting real-time conversations, and automating documentation, but emphasized concerns about preserving human connection and clinical autonomy. This tension highlights the need for technologies that enhance efficiency without undermining the interpersonal nature of SICs. We propose design guidelines for ambient and peripheral AI systems to support providers while preserving the essential humanity of these conversations. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_00241 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Balancing Efficiency and Empathy: Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on AI-Supported Workflows for Serious Illness Conversations in the Emergency Department Zhao, Menglin Yong, Zhuorui Guan, Ruijia Chang, Kai-Wei Haimovich, Adrian Ouchi, Kei Bickmore, Timothy Zhang, Zhan Yao, Bingsheng Wang, Dakuo Desai, Smit Human-Computer Interaction Artificial Intelligence Serious Illness Conversations (SICs), discussions about values and care preferences for patients with life-threatening illness, rarely occur in Emergency Departments (EDs), despite evidence that early conversations improve care alignment and reduce unnecessary interventions. We interviewed 11 ED providers to identify challenges in SICs and opportunities for technology support, with a focus on AI. Our analysis revealed a four-stage SIC workflow (identification, preparation, conduction, documentation) and barriers at each stage, including fragmented patient information, limited time and space, lack of conversational guidance, and burdensome documentation. Providers expressed interest in AI systems for synthesizing information, supporting real-time conversations, and automating documentation, but emphasized concerns about preserving human connection and clinical autonomy. This tension highlights the need for technologies that enhance efficiency without undermining the interpersonal nature of SICs. We propose design guidelines for ambient and peripheral AI systems to support providers while preserving the essential humanity of these conversations. |
| title | Balancing Efficiency and Empathy: Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on AI-Supported Workflows for Serious Illness Conversations in the Emergency Department |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Artificial Intelligence |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.00241 |