Aim: To introduce AI-enabled virtual assistants for procedural anxiety to ensure that children and young people have support for their medical and psychological needs within their home, school or local health care settings.
Adopting AI-enabled virtual assistants as part of a service in the NHS
This intervention is being tested in the Paediatric Psychology service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.
The team working on this project have made a start on the adoption process and are making great strides during COVID-19 and are bringing together learning on adopting new technologies in the NHS.
About our project
The Paediatric Psychology service supports children and young people with physical health problems and their families. The service is run by Clinical Psychologists working alongside lots of other health professionals. Their aim to help children and their families to cope with the emotional and psychological aspects of health and illness.
Introducing a virtual assistants service that can be available for young people and their families as part of an overall aim to understand how AI and digital technologies can be used to support the timely provision of information.
The team are underway in adopting AI-enabled virtual assistant in their service. This is now part of a wider programme at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board where other departments are also seeking to use virtual assistants.
We know that children and young people are increasingly accessing technology, and can often engage with digital platforms or services more readily than with human based ones, especially those which are available 24/7 such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
“The AI is a proactive and preventative tool to ensure that children and young people have support for their medical and psychological needs within their home, school or local health care settings. The tool will promote ownership for children and young people over their care, by allowing them to independently access information and strategies.”
Our starting point
Based on the successful RiTTA model developed by both Velindre UHT and the ‘Ollie’ AI platform developed at Alder Hay Hospital, the ABUHB Paediatric Psychology team is developing an AI technology solution that utilises the existing ABUHB Paediatric Play training set to provides real time information, media, strategies and advice for young people experiencing procedural anxiety 24/7.
The AI could be accessed by every child undergoing a procedure in ABUHB, with significant impact on staff time will enable all children and young people in the health board to access information about their procedures; opportunities to develop coping strategies to manage procedural anxiety and signposting to further services if they need additional support.
Wider service information (Paediatric Psychology)
The Paediatric Psychology service supports children and young people with physical health problems and their families. The service is run by Clinical Psychologists working alongside lots of other health professionals. Their aim to help children and their families to cope with the emotional and psychological aspects of health and illness.
Introducing a virtual assistants service that can be available for young people and their families as part of an overall aim to understand how AI and digital technologies can be used to support the timely provision of information.
The team are underway in adopting AI-enabled virtual assistant in their service. This is now part of a wider programme at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board where other departments are also seeking to use virtual assistants.
There was a steep learning curve for the adoption site team and barriers they had to overcome.
