Advancing Patient-Centered Shared Decision-Making with AI Systems for Older Adult Cancer Patients

Shared decision making (SDM) plays a vital role in clinical practice guidelines, fostering enduring therapeutic communication and patient-clinician relationships. Previous research indicates that active patient participation in decision-making improves satisfaction and treatment outcomes. However, medical decision-making can be intricate and multifaceted. To help make SDM more accessible, we designed a patient-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) SDM system for older adult cancer patients who lack high health literacy to become more involved in the clinical decision-making process and to improve comprehension toward treatment outcomes. We conducted a pilot feasibility study through 12 preliminary interviews followed by 25 usability testing interviews after the system development, with older adult cancer survivors and clinicians. Results indicated promise in the AI system’s ability to enhance SDM, providing personalized healthcare experiences and education for cancer patients. Clinician responses also provided useful suggestions for SDM’s new design and research opportunities in mitigating medical errors and improving clinical efficiency.