A new study published last week in NEJM Catalyst examines the how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and remote video interpretation (RVI) tools to overcome language barriers with Spanish-speaking patients in surgical care is perceived by those patients.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham Department of Surgery’s Center for Surgery and Public Health, the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and other institutions set out to discover patient perceptions of AI- and RVI-based interpreter technologies, and “to understand how clinical context influences modality preferences.”
Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH
The study, “Artificial Intelligence for Language Access in Surgical Care: Patient Preferences and an Implementation Framework,” was led by Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery and lead faculty for research and innovation for equitable surgical care at the Center for Surgery and Public Health in the Department of Surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The team conducted a descriptive concurrent mixed-methods study within a U.S. academic health system, engaging 23 enrolled adult patients with Spanish language preference across the surgical continuum. The patients were not asked for a single favorite modality, but rather what they thought of a modality in context of their status in their overall episode of care at a given time.
The researchers found that AI was viewed by patients as “advantageous for its speed, privacy, and literal translation in straightforward or time-sensitive scenarios,” while “RVI was favored for emotionally complex conversations and cultural nuance.”
They note that, across all contextual narratives, “patient agency emerged as a dominant theme.”
The researchers concluded that their findings “support the development of a multifaceted language access infrastructure in which AI and remote human interpreters are deployed synergistically based on clinical sensitivity, urgency, and patient preference.”
Access the full study here.
