Applying an Agile Science Roadmap to Integrate and Evaluate Ethical Frameworks Throughout the Lifecycle and Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in the Intensive Care Unit.

Journal: Critical care nursing clinics of North America
Published Date: Mar 28, 2025

Abstract

This article summarizes existing ethical frameworks for healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) and ambient sensing technology, such as computer vision, and examines their application to improve patient outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). Integrating ethical considerations such as privacy, fairness, and autonomy into the lifecycle of an AI tool is necessary to fully harvest AI's potential to deliver safe, high-quality, personalized, and low-cost healthcare services that provide positive experiences for patients, families, and clinicians while improving health outcomes. Drawing from agile science, the article proposes a practical roadmap for clinician and researcher use to identify, integrate, and monitor ethical considerations throughout the lifecycle of an AI tool with the intention to improve patient care. A use case illustrates the application of the agile science-informed roadmap that details the development of a passive digital marker for delirium severity.

Authors

  • Heidi Lindroth
    Division of Nursing Research, Department of Nursing, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA. Electronic address: Lindroth.heidi@mayo.edu.
  • Juhi Sahajwani
    Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
  • Mark Hudson
    School of Psychology and Counselling, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
  • Laura Heier
    Department of Graduate Nursing, Viterbo University, La Crosse, WI, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
  • Andrew A Gonzalez
    Regenstrief Institute Center for Health Services Research and Indiana University School of Medicine.
  • Anirban Bhattacharyya
    Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
  • Zhi Zheng
    Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University.
  • Malaz Boustani
    School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA.
  • Vitaly Herasevich
    Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
  • Michelle McGowan
    Biomedical Ethics, Departments of Quantitative Health Sciences and Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
  • Barbara Barry
    Kern Center Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.

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