by Columbia University Irving Medical Center

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A new Columbia University School of Nursing-led study explores how patients view the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve mental health care. The survey, which included 500 US-based adults, found that 49.3% of participants considered AI to be beneficial for mental health care. Particularly, African Americans and those with lower self-rated health literacy were more likely to have this view while women were less likely to do so. Moreover, 81.6% of participants also believed health professionals to be responsible for misdiagnosis of mental health conditions.

The study, "Patient Perspectives on AI for Mental Health Care: A Cross-sectional Survey Study" is published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Mental Health.

"This survey comes at a time where AI applications are ubiquitous, and patients are gaining greater access and ownership over their data. Understanding patient perceptions of if and how AI may be appropriately used for mental health care is critical," said Natalie Benda, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Columbia Nursing who led the study, "Our findings can support health professionals in deploying AI tools safely."

The researchers also found participants were most concerned about incorrect diagnoses by AI tools, application of inappropriate treatments, lack of interaction with their mental health care providers, and the negative effects of AI on confidentiality. In addition, participants said they would like visibility into and autonomy around how AI was being applied to help them understand the care process and a tool's performance.

Based on the findings, the researchers recommend these actions for health professionals when using AI for mental health care:

  • Evaluate AI tools in clinical simulation environments before larger deployment

  • Promote transparency in AI's use, communicate its accuracy, and include potential risks for patients

  • Communicate how potential biases have been evaluated and mitigated

  • Explain how the performance and process for a given task may change with and without AI

  • Conduct studies to understand what information is needed within patient communications that incorporates patient values, supports comprehension of concepts, and fosters trust

  • Increase opportunities for patient autonomy so that patients and health professionals may collaboratively make decisions.

More information: Natalie Benda et al, Patient Perspectives on AI for Mental Health Care: Cross-Sectional Survey Study, JMIR Mental Health (2024). DOI: 10.2196/58462

Provided by Columbia University Irving Medical Center