Conceptual framework of knowledge management for ethical decision-making support in neonatal intensive care

IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed. 2005 Jun;9(2):205-15. doi: 10.1109/titb.2005.847187.

Abstract

This research is built on the belief that artificial intelligence estimations need to be integrated into clinical social context to create value for health-care decisions. In sophisticated neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), decisions to continue or discontinue aggressive treatment are an integral part of clinical practice. High-quality evidence supports clinical decision-making, and a decision-aid tool based on specific outcome information for individual NICU patients will provide significant support for parents and caregivers in making difficult "ethical" treatment decisions. In our approach, information on a newborn patient's likely outcomes is integrated with the physician's interpretation and parents' perspectives into codified knowledge. Context-sensitive content adaptation delivers personalized and customized information to a variety of users, from physicians to parents. The system provides structuralized knowledge translation and exchange between all participants in the decision, facilitating collaborative decision-making that involves parents at every stage on whether to initiate, continue, limit, or terminate intensive care for their infant.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Artificial Intelligence*
  • Decision Making, Organizational*
  • Ethics, Medical*
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Intensive Care, Neonatal / organization & administration*
  • User-Computer Interface