From prostate cancer patient perspective: Artificial Intelligence may be a damn good idea

Abstract

The healthcare system in the United States has been notoriously ineffective. The expected revolutionary approach to transforming the healthcare system, personal empowerment, has not been successful. The fledgling artificial intelligence (AI) technology, especially natural language processing (NLP), has made an AI health assistant tool possible to synthesize medical knowledge and provide generic consulting services to patients. This study included a prostate cancer patient opinion survey that collected attitudes and opinions about AI from 73 prostate cancer patients and a series of prostate cancer patient panel discussions between the investigator and 17 prostate cancer patients. The study observed a phenomenon of progressive health demands from patients that the current healthcare system in the United States has its born inability to fulfill. These demands include patients’ self-determination on treatment options, their preference for quality of life, and their desire to seek optimal care. Progressive health demands come from power patients who are mentally strong and intelligently capable to make critical decisions regarding their disease management and they are willing to take responsibility. Prostate cancer patients expect a directly accessible AI health assistant tool that can provide unbiased information independent of the medical service providers, and can support patients to navigate various treatment options and get the best of them. This pilot exploratory study reflected perspectives of an intellectually and politically competent patient community which shows that the AI health assistant tool can be particularly beneficial to patients. The tool can provide much-needed support to patients the current healthcare system has failed to do and can facilitate the growth of power patients who has become one of the key driving forces to reform the healthcare system in the United States.