What You Need to Do

Read and respond to a workplace scenario that presents an ethical dilemma in at least two Discussion posts. In your response, address what you would do in the situation and suggest strategies to avoid the dilemma in the future. Discuss the posted options with your group as you consider what to do in the situation. Use the step-by-step instructions below to complete the task.

How This Activity Connects to the Course

Ethical considerations matter in everything that you write in the workplace. You may well find yourself in a situation similar to this scenario once you graduate (or even sooner as an intern). This scenario considers cultural sensitivity in the images that a company uses.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Success Tip

You can use the online texts, any notes that you have, and the available course pages in Canvas for help as you work on these questions. You can also talk to one another.

  1. Read the scenario below and consider the ethical dilemma involved for Dr. Kaufmann.
  2. In your your first post, do the following:
    1. Present a position statement that answers the question “What would you do in this situation?”
      • Provide reasoning from your own personal code of ethics. Here you focus on what YOU think is right.
      • Provide reasoning from your discipline’s code of ethics, OR Provide at least one supporting statement or example from the Ethics Resource Module.
    2. Explain what Dr. Kaufmann should do in the future to avoid such situations.
  3. Read the posts from others in your group, paying attention to how you agree or disagree on their solutions.
  4. Write at least one additional post to discuss the solution your group recommends and the actions Dr. Kaufmann should take to avoid such dilemmas in the future.

The Scenario

AI Use in Medical Transcription

A Jewish doctor in her mid-30s sits at her laptop in a meeting with colleagues.
Image created with Midjourney

Chesterfield Health Associates, a regional health provider that is part of the state-wide network Virginia Health & Wellness, has recently adopted an AI-driven medical transcription system. This decision was made to conform to the practices of other providers in the network who already use the tool.

Scenario

After three months of implementation, Dr. Ruth Kaufmann, the lead doctor at Chesterfield Health Associates, has observed several issues with the AI-driven medical transcription system:

  • Complex medical terminology is often misinterpreted, leading to inaccurate patient records and potential harm due to incorrect treatment plans.
  • The AI makes more errors when transcribing notes from healthcare providers with strong accents, resulting in disparities in the quality of patient records.
  • Patients have complained about the AI-transcribed notes, noting that they frequently include confusing jargon without explanation and miss critical nuances that were previously captured by human transcribers.
  • When transcription errors occur, it is unclear whether the healthcare providers have not included accurate information in their notes or if the AI system is not transcribing the notes accurately.

Dr. Kaufmann needs to examine all of the concerns, with the help of the other doctors at Chesterfield Health Associates. Once they determine the best option, Dr. Kaufmann will write a proposal to Virginia Health & Wellness that outlines the actions she and her colleagues want to take.

Options for Dr. Kaufmann

  • Return to Human Transcription: Propose reverting to human transcribers to ensure accuracy and personalized care.
  • Implement Dual Verification: Suggest a dual verification system where AI transcriptions are reviewed by human transcribers before being finalized.
  • Provide Additional Training: Recommend training sessions for healthcare providers to adapt their note-taking for better AI transcription accuracy.
  • Upgrade the AI System: Advocate for an upgrade to a more advanced AI system that better handles complex terminology and diverse accents.
  • Develop a Hybrid Model: Propose a hybrid model combining AI and human transcription to leverage the strengths of both approaches.

Issues to Consider as You Decide What Dr. Kaufmann Should Propose

  • Patient Safety: How can we ensure that patient records are accurate and treatment plans are based on correct information?
  • Equity in Care: How can we address the disparities in transcription quality related to healthcare providers’ accents?
  • Patient Understanding: How can we make sure that transcribed notes are clear and understandable for patients?
  • Accountability: How can we determine whether transcription errors are due to provider notes or the AI system?
  • Cost and Resources: What are the financial implications of the proposed solutions, and do we have the resources to implement them?

Conclusion

The current AI system is not meeting the needs of Chesterfield Health Associates. Dr. Kaufmann and her colleagues must weigh the options available as they decide how to address the concerns related to the AI-driven medical transcription system to ensure accurate and equitable patient records.

Assessment

I will mark your participation in this Discussion Complete (or Incomplete) after the end of the Grace Period passes and I confirm that you have made at least two posts (required: one response to the original scenario, and a second in response to others in your class). Allow me several days to read and mark all your posts.