Healthcare AI projects are complex and meant to help many types of users. These include patients, family caregivers, doctors, nurses, and people who manage healthcare facilities. Each group has different needs and views that help create technology that works well in real healthcare settings and improves patient care. The Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (MassAITC) is a leading group focused on involving stakeholders to promote AI use in healthcare. Their Stakeholder Engagement Core carries out detailed assessments of the needs of older adults, caregivers, and clinicians. A special board made up of experts from healthcare, schools, and social work guides this work.
Experts like Holly Jimison, PhD, FACMI, say that involving stakeholders throughout development and testing makes AI tools not just useful, but also easy to use and fit for the people who will use them. This approach helps solve common problems in healthcare technology, like tools that are hard to use, don’t fit well into clinical work, or lack proper training.
Human-centered design puts the needs and experiences of users at the center of making new tools. In healthcare AI, this means developers work closely with patients, caregivers, and providers to understand their daily routines, problems, and preferences during the design of AI tools.
At MassAITC, this method helps teams create healthcare AI technology that works well in the places it will be used. Jenna Marquard, PhD, points out the importance of spending time with older adults and caregivers to understand their challenges. Many face physical or memory problems that make learning new technology hard.
Using human-centered design lets teams fix usability problems early, write clearer instructions, make better interfaces, and build support systems for smoother use. It also helps gather feedback all through development so improvements can be made step by step.
By including all these groups, developers can build AI tools that work well in real healthcare settings, not just in labs.
The population in the United States is getting older quickly. Many people have Alzheimer’s or similar memory problems. There is a strong need for technology that helps improve their lives, supports caregivers, and helps doctors diagnose and treat patients. When made well, AI can help with monitoring patients from a distance, finding problems early, creating care plans tailored to individuals, and lowering hospital visits.
However, Dr. Carmen Castaneda Sceppa, MD, PhD, FSGA, warns that technology made without asking stakeholders can be rejected or abandoned. Many older adults might not be used to digital devices, and clinicians might find AI interrupts their routines. That is why engagement is not just a one-time task but a continuous process that helps technology fit users’ needs.
When stakeholders are deeply involved in AI projects, several benefits arise:
The Stakeholder Advisory Board at MassAITC shows leadership in working together on healthcare AI. The board includes experienced individuals like Deborah Costello and Mary Sano, PhD. They guide detailed assessments that make sure many points of view are included. Their combined knowledge helps create technology that addresses medical issues and daily life challenges for patients and caregivers.
Ivan Lee, PhD, stresses the value of ongoing engagement. He says stakeholder feedback should be carefully recorded and looked at again during the whole AI project. This helps keep the technology relevant and easy to use over time.
In healthcare offices, AI is changing how front-desk work is done, especially tasks involving phone calls. Simbo AI is a company that offers such AI solutions made for healthcare settings. Their technology uses conversational AI and machine learning to do work like scheduling appointments, reminding patients, and answering calls. This reduces the work for office staff.
For administrators and IT managers in U.S. clinics, the benefits include:
Using human-centered design in AI workflow tools makes sure these systems meet the needs of both staff and patients. Involving stakeholders when making automation helps avoid problems like frustration with rigid systems or missed messages from bad design.
Organizations like the Stakeholder Engagement Core carry out thorough and repeated needs assessments to keep AI tools useful and effective. Holly Jimison, PhD, FACMI, shows that understanding the real problems and wishes of older adults, caregivers, and clinicians is the only way to prevent building tech that looks good but is not practical.
For medical administrators, these assessments offer important information to choose technology that works well and has good user reviews. IT managers also get helpful details to guide system setup, security, and training.
Even though involving stakeholders is important, it can be hard because:
Still, ongoing talk and adjustment remain important. MassAITC shows that long-term engagement, led by experts and advisory boards, can work and be helpful.
A key part of stakeholder engagement is making sure AI technology is fair and accessible to everyone. Not all patients or caregivers have the same ability to use technology or access to resources. MassAITC focuses on including older adults and family caregivers to make sure AI does not make healthcare inequalities worse.
Deborah Costello says it is important to share research results widely with many healthcare groups and researchers. This helps developers and policy makers think about differences like culture, language, and income when planning AI use.
For medical practice managers and IT staff in the U.S. who are considering AI tools like Simbo AI for phone automation or other clinical support, including stakeholders from the start is very important. Starting with discussions, testing with doctors and patients, and collecting feedback all the time can stop costly mistakes and problems.
Also, choosing AI made using human-centered design and guided by advisory boards usually leads to better acceptance and happier patients and staff. With a growing older population and more demands on healthcare workers, using AI that respects the needs and skills of all users is a good way to improve healthcare quality and make operations smoother.
The Stakeholder Engagement Core at the Massachusetts AI and Technology Center is tasked with convening stakeholder groups and conducting needs assessments to ensure AI-enhanced technologies are adoptable and accessible for end-users, particularly in the context of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
The Core is led by Holly Jimison, PhD, along with Jenna Marquard, PhD, and Ivan Lee, PhD, all of whom hold significant academic positions at various universities.
Core activities include ongoing stakeholder needs assessments, utilizing human-centered design thinking methods to ensure solutions meet user needs, and disseminating findings to the broader research community.
The Stakeholder Advisory Board aims to guide the needs assessment process and ensure that various perspectives from older adults, caregivers, and clinicians are incorporated into technology development.
Stakeholders include older adults, family or informal caregivers, and clinicians, whose needs and preferences are crucial for the development of effective AI technologies.
Human-centered design thinking is employed by pilot project teams to effectively conduct thorough needs assessments and to create solutions that directly address the identified needs of stakeholders.
Expected outcomes include improved understanding of user needs, leading to the design and implementation of more effective AI technologies in healthcare settings.
By conducting rigorous needs assessments and involving stakeholders in the design process, the Core helps ensure that technologies are user-friendly and relevant, thereby enhancing adoption rates.
Notable members include Carmen Castaneda Sceppa, Deborah Costello, and Mary Sano, representing various healthcare and academic institutions.
Stakeholder engagement is critical as it ensures solutions are tailored to the needs of users, increases the likelihood of successful implementation, and promotes equity in healthcare technology access.
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