Technology like AI will enable healthcare professionals to do their work more effectively and with greater empathy.
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Few experiences are more personal than caring for another person when they are sick or injured. As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of healthcare, there are concerns it could diminish the human side of care. However, I believe a people-centered approach can be strengthened by technology rather than threatened by it, provided we maintain a healthy respect for the five pillars of human-led healthcare: sanctuary, expertise, perseverance, grit, and trust.
Sanctuary
A sanctuary in healthcare can be any secure space — physically or emotionally — where patients feel safe and can open up, be it a doctor’s office or a phone line with a care coordinator. The digital evolution will create new opportunities to make these spaces more accessible, thanks to new modes of communication (chat, Zoom, apps, etc.). For example, we’re already seeing how video chat has made mental healthcare more accessible in rural communities.
Going forward, technology will create more options for safe spaces and help enhance the sanctuary experience. For example, AI-powered tools can streamline patient data management across multiple touchpoints, making it easier for everyone involved in a patient’s care journey to be informed.
Take the journey of someone with cancer as an example. They might interact with oncology specialists, chemotherapy providers, physical therapists, nutritionists, mental health counselors, and more. Reviewing their health history with each person at each step is tedious and tiring. Walking into the conversation and feeling “known” right away because the person across from them easily has all the relevant data creates a more comforting experience — a critical differentiator of human-led healthcare.
Expertise
Healthcare is a knowledge industry, and technology can undoubtedly help enhance the expertise it demands. Wearable devices make it easier to gather information about a person’s health. Cloud solutions simplify data storage. AI tools make it possible to categorize and analyze all that information more efficiently.
This knowledge boom has implications for current and future patients, as information informs predictive intelligence. Continuing with the example of the cancer patient, suppose they need a specialist for a rare form of cancer. By combining physician-led insights and patient journey data points, it’s possible to pinpoint where interventions made a difference in the past, helping inform future treatment decisions. The system might identify that patients with similar diagnoses had better outcomes when treated at specific centers of excellence, an insight that wouldn’t be apparent without comprehensive data analysis.
Perseverance
The healthcare journey can be confusing and nerve-wracking, as patients are often left to navigate the fragmented system alone. For our cancer patient, a care coordinator might call to ask: “How are you feeling after your second round of chemotherapy? Are you keeping up with your nutrition?” The aim is to get to “the question behind the question” and discover the root cause of what is really creating the challenge for the patient. If the patient has lost weight, for example, it might be because they have lost their appetite due to treatment and are struggling to eat.
This approach is far more effective than an easy-to-ignore app notification or text message. Technology can still play a key role, equipping care coordinators with quick access to patient data so they know exactly when to follow up and what to ask. Support can become more proactive and anticipatory, rather than waiting for patients to reach out once something is wrong.
Grit
A healthcare journey can be incredibly tiring. Sometimes, patients need someone to fight for them. Again, this is an area where I see the human element as irreplaceable, but I envision technology supporting that in meaningful ways. Care advocates who are empowered through comprehensive data can better know how to support patients.
Using the example of the cancer patient, a care advocate with the right information might notice the patient’s insurance requires preauthorization for a particular treatment, anticipate potential delays, and proactively work with providers to expedite the process. They might also identify that the patient lives far away from the treatment center and connect them with transportation resources or lodging assistance. Technology provides the intelligence, while the person provides the fight, identifying obstacles and finding ways to work around them. It’s healthcare with grit.
Friendship
Above all else, healthcare relationships are built on trust. When someone is sick or injured, they trust their healthcare provider to heal them—a profound testament to the value of human connection. As technology takes care of more tedious tasks, like data gathering, it frees up time for people to focus on the human side of things, like relationship-building.
Our cancer patient—someone who is likely worried and fearful—wants to trust their care team, because that care team represents the hope of healing. Imagine if, during that first meeting with their oncologist, the doctor is looking at a tablet the whole time, taking notes. While the doctor may be doing something useful, the lack of eye contact feels impersonal. Now, if that doctor is using an ambient recording tool for note-taking, they can focus entirely on the patient, creating reassurance and trust.
Technology as an Enabler of Human-Led Healthcare
There’s a lot of talk about tech taking jobs, even in healthcare. However, I believe tech will simply enable humans in the field to do their work better and with greater empathy. If we use it appropriately, AI allows us to be more human, not less.
These five pillars are a helpful guide toward that goal. In the future, as in the past, the best healthcare won’t be built on fancy tech tools. It will be built on empathy.
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