“WIR! - HEALTH.AI - AI4KOnCo - AI for Kids Oncology Consent - Needs assessment and acceptance study”

A cancer diagnosis in childhood places enormous emotional strain on families. They need reliable information about the disease, its diagnosis, treatment, and individual prognosis. AI4KOnCo aims to provide verified medical information, thereby supporting and relieving the burden on medical staff when it comes to counseling and education. The aim of the project is to enable parents and patients to make informed and considered decisions about consenting to the therapeutic measures to be taken. To this end, the AI4KOnCo project is developing an app that provides parents of young cancer patients with reliable, understandable information and supports doctors in their counseling and education efforts. The aim is to reduce fears and facilitate informed decisions about treatment. The app provides verified content on disease, diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis, thus complementing the doctor's consultation. The project is based on the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach, which actively incorporates ethical, social, and societal aspects. Those affected are involved at an early stage to ensure that the development is user-oriented and sensitive.

In this subproject, the Institute for Social Research and Social Economy analyzes the user-friendliness and impact of the app on parents, children, and doctors, as well as on communication between them. The focus is on questions regarding:

• Use and acceptance of the app among different target groups,

• Need for information and opportunities for interaction,

• Ease of use and linguistic accessibility,

• Relief for parents and professionals,

• Influence on decision-making processes and doctor-patient relationships.

To this end, surveys and workshops are conducted with parents and, where appropriate, patients, as well as interviews with doctors and developers. The results are continuously incorporated into technical development and practical testing. The subproject contributes to the development of AI-based applications that are medically sound, ethically responsible, and tailored to the specific needs of a vulnerable target group.

Project Partners: 

• paragon semvox GmbH (semvox) (network coordination)

• Pioneo GmbH (Pioneo)

• Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology,

• Saarland University (UdS)

• German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH (DFKI)

• Chair of Legal Informatics, Saarland University (UdS)