New Report - AI in Healthcare: implications for Quality & Safety
The Commission has released a report reviewing evidence about implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (the Commission) recently released a report titled ‘AI Implementation in Hospitals: Legislation, Policy, Guidelines and Principles, and Evidence about Quality and Safety’. The report offers an in-depth examination of the recent literature and research of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare. As outlined in the publication, the Commission will use findings for this report for future development of resources to assist healthcare organisations in evaluating and implementing AI.
The Commission’s report highlights research from international and national policies and legislation to gain insights into principles for implementation of AI in acute care. The literature review and principles for safe and responsible AI in healthcare touch upon these key areas:
- AI in acute care settings
- Approach to AI implementation
- AI system performance
- Safety of AI in healthcare
- Role of AI in clinical tasks, clinical workflow, usability and safe use
- Clinical utility and effects on decision-making
- Effects on care delivery and patient outcomes
Key findings include:
- Significant training and support are required for clinicians and health workers
- AI governance should build on existing governance processes
- Engagement with consumers, communities and stakeholders about AI needs to strengthen
- Transparency and consent are key issues for implementation
- Ensure the use of existing patient safety and quality systems for monitoring AI incidents and safety events
The report concludes that the adoption of AI technologies in Australian healthcare is still in its early stages and to harness the enormous benefits of AI, we must implement and use it safely and responsibly. Preparation is crucial, and this involves building on existing governance processes, strengthening engagement with consumers, utilising the available data infrastructure, and establishing robust processes for evaluating the performance, clinical utility, and usefulness of AI assistance based on current best practices for implementing digital health systems. To read the full report, please see the publication on the Commission’s website: Publications and resources | Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
ACHS has been supporting our Members with leading expert information about AI in Healthcare and we look forward to further information from the Commission about the implications for safety and quality that will impact our Members. Last year, we hosted an Executive Innovation Forum to support our Members with the emergence of AI in healthcare. We were joined by expert guest speaker Adjunct Professor Digital Health, University of Sydney, Dr Malcolm Pradhan, and panellists Professor Farah Magrabi, Professor of Biomedical and health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University and Mr Richard Taggart, National Director, Information Technology & Digital Transformation, Calvary.
We look forward to learning more insights and sharing practical perspectives for safe, quality care in the future.
