Michael McHale , 2025-04-15 07:30:00
HIQA to lead on development of guidelines that will encourage best practice on responsible use of AI in health and social care settings
Work is underway to inform the development of a national framework for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and social care.
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) will lead work on the drafting of the guidance document, beginning with a scoping consultation which it launched yesterday.
As AI is set to transform the healthcare landscape around the world, the Department of Health commissioned the framework to ensure that its use here enhances safety, quality and trust for people who rely on essential health and social care services.
“Through this scoping consultation, we are inviting people to identify key areas that the framework should address and share best practices, insights, and ideas to help ensure that AI is used in a way that enhances health and social care while protecting individuals,” said HIQA director of health information and standards Rachel Flynn.
“In health and social care settings, AI has the potential to enhance efficiencies and improve care delivery, for example, through supporting clinical decision-making and streamlining administrative processes.
“At the same time, it is essential that a person-centred approach is taken in order to fully realise the benefits while balancing the rights of people accessing these services.
“She added: At the end of this scoping consultation, feedback will be collated and used to help inform the development of the framework which will ultimately serve as guidance for services and organisations to adopt and use AI safely and responsibly, putting people at the centre of care.”
The public can make submissions to the consultation via hiqa.ie until 5pm on May 2. Feedback received will be used to develop a draft National Framework for the Responsible and Safe Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health and Social Care.
Once complete, the framework will be used to promote awareness and encourage good practice among service providers and staff about the responsible and safe use of AI in health and social care services
It will also support and empower people using health and social care services by increasing understanding of their rights and expectations regarding the use of AI while engaging with those services.
The consultation launches as the emergency department (ED) of University Hospital Galway begins a new research study aimed at enhancing the efficiency and quality of GP discharge letters through AI.
The project, which is in collaboration with emergency medicine consultant Dr James Foley, will leverage MedWrite.ai’s AI Assistant, which generates GP letters from simple voice notes recorded by clinicians.
The MedWrite.ai system ensures a human-in-the-loop approach, meaning every letter is reviewed by the responsible clinician before being finalised. The study will determine the efficiency and quality of AI assistance on documentation standards.
“Discharge summaries play an essential role in informing GPs about a patient’s episode of care, ensuring continuity and preventing adverse events, said Dr Foley.
“One of the most time-consuming tasks in the emergency department is writing these post-discharge letters, and our study will evaluate whether AI can improve both their quality and efficiency.
“The department has worked closely with MedWrite.ai to develop an assistant tailored to our research needs, and we’re excited to explore its potential to inform future decisions about AI in a real-world ED setting. Any initiative that increases efficiency in this pressurised environment must be considered.”
This study is being funded by the Acute Pre-Admission Integrated Navigational Hub and the HSE Spark Funding initiative.