AI in neurological care could widen health disparities, new report warns

As the role of artificial intelligence in healthcare rapidly expands, a comprehensive new report co-authored by UCLA Health says the same technology that helps doctors detect strokes and seizures can also exacerbate health disparities if proper safeguards are not in place.

Report published in magazine NeurologyThe Medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology explored the growing role of AI in neurological treatments. The technology has already shown benefits, such as allowing doctors to make faster decisions in classifying brain tumors and analyzing stroke images, but researchers say AI’s reliance on large datasets poses risks to patients from vulnerable populations that are already underrepresented and underdiagnosed in research.

At the same time, AI offers the potential to help health care providers in resource-limited settings recognize early signs of neurological disease based on clinical records, for clinics to improve the enrollment of underrepresented groups in research studies, and for health systems to ensure that all patient groups receive quality care and improved health outcomes.

In other words, AI could help doctors in areas with neurologist shortages recognize neurological diseases months in advance, ensure drugs are affordable for patients, automatically create medication instructions in patients’ first language, and flag when certain populations are being systematically excluded from clinical trials. The technology exists. All we need to do is build it on a foundation of equity. ”

Dr. Addis Mendizabal, senior author of the study, Neurologist and Medical Services Investigator at UCLA Health

In consultation with health care experts, AI experts, Food and Drug Administration officials, and one AI company, Mendizabal and researchers from nine other universities identified both the benefits and pitfalls of implementing AI in neurological care and developed three guiding principles for future implementation.

• Strong governance: Independent oversight with clear accountability must be established to monitor AI performance, investigate failures, and allow patients to report concerns or delete medical data.

Investigators said the governance of AI needs to continually evolve in parallel with the technology itself, requiring continued collaboration between government regulators, healthcare providers, AI developers and patients.

“We are at a critical juncture,” Mendizábal said. “The decisions we make now about how we develop and deploy AI in healthcare will determine whether this technology becomes a force for greater equity or creates new barriers to healthcare.”