Social Intelligent Assistant
Winner – DATA4RECOVERY HACKATHON – EU sponsored event with over 500 applications.
๐SIA stands for Social Intelligent Assistant.
What is the problem? What is the impact? Why is solving this important to you?
We propose to use a personalized and individualized AI Assistant that considers, in addition to the purely clinical aspects, other aspects such as social integration that contribute to physical well-being. A comprehensive view of health should not be restricted to the clinical context. Studies have shown that the social brain contributes to physical wellbeing, learning, and medical treatment. Therefore, the proposed tool would integrate SIA through a wearable voice-activated device that communicates to each individual in a different way. Each individual will have specific needs, so it is crucial for those with impairments of any sense to have adapted resources. Through wearable sensors, this chabot will be able to interact with each individual via light signals, voice commands, or text messages, depending on the specific situation. Additionally, the sensors will track vitals, such as heart rate and steps. Those data can be shared in real time with friends and family. Physicians, Family Members, Social Workers, Personal Carers, Extended Family, close friends and clergy may all be included. The information obtained through this application must be linked with private health workers, as well as with the reference social workers. The reason for this is because health is not solely a clinical issue. The patient can allow friends and family to be involved. To demonstrate concepts in a working model, we built a demo or proof of concept
This concept note is to run a pilot at a Spanish Health Clinic to review the medical efficacy of our artificial intelligence solution. This is a high risk and high potential impact intervention.
๐คขPandemic Effects
The pandemic has drawn attention to differences in access to medical care. As a result, hospitals and health centers around the globe have fallen into disarray. On numerous occasions, this has resulted in aid not being delivered in a timely manner.
๐จโโ๏ธ๐๐ฉ๐ฝโโ๏ธ Medical approaches alone are insufficient
In turn, as a result of this pandemic, we have largely neglected aspects such as isolation, loneliness, depressive processes, etc. Because of these limitations, cases emerge such as chronic depressions which demand medical attention and medication. Adequate prevention would have effectively reduced these difficulties and saved significant amounts of money for health systems in all countries. Social and emotional health continues to be a neglected or undervalued aspect. When a disease is quite serious, attention is given to it, but the resources available to promote correct social support, despite the benefits, are extremely scarce.
โ๏ธ COVID is not the only important healthcare practice
We must remember that while fighting COVID remains a priority, chronically ill patients or those suffering from severe diseases, such as cancer, will continue to exist. There is no sign that the ratio of these types of cases is decreasing at the moment. Despite this, we know that the collapse of health systems has left cancer patients without sufficient access to medication. In many cases, the necessary medication has not been administered, or the diagnostic tests have been delayed to the point that they are too late to provide a satisfactory solution and cure. Another factor that affects the effectiveness of clinical treatments is adherence. In this context, we find a variety of factors, including perceived professional and family support, level of education, etc. (Cabascango, Tapia, & Linto, 2017) These issues can be solved by a support of logistics and supply chain in the delivery of care. Our solution also leverages the beneficial aspects of family and friends to facilitate care delivery.
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐ฆโ๐ฆ Treatment must take into account the disruption of social factors
For example, let’s examine kidney disease. The impact of chronic kidney disease on the patient’s emotional state is one of the key factors that contribute to the patient’s deterioration, as it requires the patient to adjust to social, family, and work environments, which is characterized by feelings such as anxiety, fear, and anger (Vinaccia & Orozco, 2005). Patients with CKD have living conditions that are affected by family, social, occupational, and work interactions, further affecting household economy, health, and social interactions. (Tovbin, Gidron, Jean, Granovsky & Schnieder, 2003)
In a study on Chronic Kidney Disease, Dรญaz-Soto, Prรฉsiga-Rรญos, and Zapata-Rueda (2017) stated that the patients with greater perceived social support displayed better adherence to treatment, and, as a result, demonstrated improved health status.
In Martin Alfonso, Graubalo, and Espinosa Brito (2014), also state that greater support, both family and professional, contributes positively to adherence to pharmacological treatment of chronically ill patients. In this particular study, 43% of the individuals with good adherence were married.
๐งโ๐คโ๐งSupport from social networks creates health
Evidence indicates that perceived support influences adherence to pharmacological treatments in people with chronic and/or serious illnesses, but not everyone receives this support. Various factors contribute to the lack of perceived support, mainly the lack of resources to provide adequate follow-up by health care professionals, and, on the other hand, the people who live alone or that do not have close friends who can provide this support. What happens to the families of chronically ill, terminally ill, etc.? Who supports those who should be supported? There is a much higher likelihood of caregiver burnout …. So, we return to the previous case, our health systems and our social systems do not have the resources available to provide that much-needed support.
๐ Health Care is Critically Dependent on Social Interventions
The well-being of individuals is dependent on both clinical and social factors, yet, because of the fight against COVID, health systems do not have the resources and tools required to deliver an adequate and comprehensive intervention. The lack of resources leads to both difficulties with adherence to pharmaceutical therapy processes as well as not paying attention to social and emotional well-being, which is essential for the prevention of diseases like depression.
๐ฅIt’s Time To Blow Up Isolation
SIA aims to reduce the health difficulties caused by isolation. As we have mentioned, social isolation leads to chronic depressions, with little hope of recovery, especially for older people living in rural areas; well, we are social beings. SIA reduces the likelihood of depression and chronic depression in people who live in social isolation, thereby benefiting the individuals themselves, the communities where these people live, as they will participate in community-based activities, and even health care services, whose financial prospects are greatly enhanced. As we have begun to discuss the benefits of reducing social isolation, it should be noted that joint follow-up between doctors and social workers is relevant in cases of serious and/or chronic illnesses, since it facilitates perceived social support, which leads to adherence to clinical treatments. As a result, SIA plays a major role in the prevention of diseases. The impact on depression is the easiest to understand. However our argument is theres a physical and palpable result in the improvement of serious and / or chronic diseases. And here the consequent savings for health systems is realized. It also avoids overloading the health services without losing control of the cases already started. So we make a data intervention as well systematizing records through a platform that has a robot connected to each of the patients.
โ๏ธ Scaling up intervention
With the SIA, people seeking support and meeting new people outside of their existing social circle can create a vast social network. Providing anonymous and permissioned connections to new people, monitored by social care workers, can lead to vibrant relationships. As opposed to a social network designed to monetize and exploit the data collected, we will provide the care of doctors and trained health professionals to nurture and support interactions. It is hoped that the network will be subsidized by the purchase of the monitoring devices and provide a higher return on information in terms of health.
๐ต๐ฝโโ๏ธ Safety, Social Norms, and Freedom from Corporate and Unlawful Surveillance
We are aware that current social networks are rife with social disease. Our network can be cultivated for optimum patient interaction and to treat negative behavior as a symptom of medical conditions. This is in direct contrast to the misuse of social network information as a means of exploitation of personal information and data. All private and public security encroachments will be limited to the letter of the law as well as by court order. Social maladaptation cannot be interpreted or used as a criminal act, which greatly reduces covert or disruptive activity in the health network. Unique permissions will be developed, which will support data privacy laws and personal medical data – and only grant users access when medically necessary – to the exact extent of the law in the operating jurisdiction. As much as possible, our data centers will be encrypted and kept private. The goal is to localize patient records and limit access to only those who need it. Based on medical necessity. Also, this methodology rejects the notion that privacy violations may be committed in the name of fighting “terrorism” and “crime” or to justify enforcement activity.
๐ฎโโ๏ธNetwork Abuses
As the platform gains momentum and scale, additional safeguards and artificial intelligence will be deployed to detect and respond to anomalous coordinated inauthentic behaviors. Due to strict identity information and gatekeeping for the health of the participants, undesirable elements will be restricted and expelled. In addition, fake doctors conducting social engineering stings will be excluded. Sock puppet profiles will also be excluded. Our terms of service strictly prohibit harrassment of any kind, so trolls will be ejected. All incidents will be decided by the medical staff and available for legal review. Our vision is to create an open free and safe space to create health in social groups. Our mission is to follow established AI ethical standards while preserving data freedom. Our social network will be run by nurses, doctors, psychologists, and social workers. It will also address the addictive nature of current social networks. It is not our goal to collect security evidence or make clicks, but rather to help people be healthy. We will not โplay ballโ with anyone who hinders the mission to protect our people and this venture.
๐จโ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ Business/Impact
The EU invests 9.8% of its GDP in health. Over 30% of that is spent on primary care. Additionally, half of the spending on primary care is outpatient. Reducing the number of outpatient visits from 7 per capita would drive down this number. Savings of 0.5 of GDP can be achieved by applying SIA to public systems. In Europe, there are a total of 10,571 private hospitals, which SIA could potentially serve. By acting as an over the counter triage and correcting minor situations, the demand on health systems is reduced, mainly for emergencies and primary care.
๐ญ๐งโ๐คโA team of experts
Each of us is an experienced professional in his own field. At the same time, we take into account the latest advancements in innovation and research, since we are unable to propose a product for the market that does not present an advance.
๐คTechnical prototype
We focused on implementation of a skeleton architecture by population of our dialogs and user scenarios. We placed the demo on a live URL and public server. We now have working ALPHA conversation in both web and mobile. We still need to do live use with patients and doctors with sensor data and live communications hooks.
Real-time health monitoring and remote care: Here’s the link to our winning hackathon entry. – SIA – Social Intelligent Assistant
We won the DATA4RECOVERY HACKATHON – an EU-sponsored event with more than 500 applications.