We are thrilled to share insights from the second instalment of the ISQua EEA Webinar series, which brought to life the critical new themes within the 6th Edition Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Health and Social Care Standards!
The Focus on Digital Care and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems for Care webinar thoroughly explored the evolving landscape of digital health and AI in healthcare, offering valuable perspectives from leading experts in the field.
Nicola McCauley-Conlan, ISQua EEA’s Senior Accreditation Manager, provided an essential overview of Principle 7, Digital Care and Artificial Intelligence Systems for Care of the new ISQua EEA Principles. She detailed the eight new criteria under this principle, with criteria 7.1-7.3 focusing on digital care and 7.4-7.8 on AI systems. These new standards are crucial requirements for client organisations, with comprehensive guidance available to support best practices.
Dr. Andreas Alois Reis, Co-Unit Head of Health Ethics and Governance at WHO in Geneva, delved into the profound ethical considerations surrounding AI in healthcare. He highlighted the significant promise of AI but also underscored key concerns, including cost-effectiveness, the digital divide, data privacy, cybersecurity, accountability, potential biases, environmental impact, and the influence on the patient-doctor relationship. Dr. Reis referenced the work of WHO’s Expert Group on Ethics and Governance of AI for Health, which has published foundational documents like “Ethics and Governance of AI for Health” (2021). He stressed the importance of ethical, explainable, and equitable AI to ensure fair treatment and clear understanding of AI decisions, emphasising that the ultimate responsibility remains with human medical professionals.
Dr. Atul Mohan Kochhar, CEO of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) in India, shared NABH’s extensive experience in developing and implementing digital standards for healthcare services. As part of the Quality Council of India, NABH is committed to fostering an ecosystem of quality. He explained that NABH released digital health accreditation standards for hospitals in 2023 and software standards for HIS and EMR systems in 2024. The driving force behind these standards is the rapid evolution of India’s health tech market and the growing adoption of digital technology. Dr. Kochhar highlighted NABH’s vision to demystify digital health, making it simple and accessible for all, and detailed their Digital Health Toolkit designed to help facilities implement digital health practices. He powerfully articulated that digital health is indispensable for bridging gaps in healthcare access and affordability, particularly for underserved populations, envisioning its crucial role in India’s development by 2047.
Richard Greenhill, former Chief Transformation Officer, Quality Insights and Adjunct Faculty, Texas Tech University in the United States, emphasised that AI bias can be systemic, human, or statistical, underscoring the critical need for organisations to thoroughly understand their data, historical patterns, and data interpretation methods to effectively mitigate bias. He advised that organisations beginning their AI journey should consider starting with areas that do not directly impact patients, such as billing, to practice and refine their AI implementation strategies. Richard further highlighted the paramount importance of data quality, asserting that “garbage in, garbage out” applies directly to AI, and stressed the necessity for sound data governance strategies. He also reinforced that AI algorithms are not universally transferable, as each algorithm is unique and limited by its training data, meaning an algorithm successful in one setting may not be so in another without proper adaptation and validation.
The webinar concluded with a shared understanding that integrating digital care and AI systems responsibly is crucial for advancing healthcare quality and accessibility worldwide. We are delighted to share the recording of the full Focus on Digital Care and AI webinar with the ISQua EEA network. To listen to the full discussion, you can access the webinar recording HERE.
We look forward to our next instalment in the webinar series: Focus on Supporting the Care Workforce, which promises to explore the vital role of the healthcare workforce in delivering high-quality, safe care in an evolving global landscape. Keep an eye on the ISQua EEA Channels for further information.
