In a world oversaturated with information sources, it can be difficult to navigate health systems. For expectant mothers facing health questions, it’s often overwhelming.
To address these challenges, University of Georgia researchers and principal investigators Soroya Julian McFarlane and Ishtiaque Fazlul are designing a digital tool that provides timely answers to pressing questions, bridges gaps in communication and empowers expectant mothers.
“We are interested in a mechanism that provides holistic support and can translate and break down complex information, giving people simple, just-in-time messages that they can act on,” said McFarlane, assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
Soroya McFarlane is a University of Georgia Assistant Professor and Research Pool Coordinator in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
The project is funded by a two-year Program for AI Readiness (PAIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health’s AIM-AHEAD program and will utilize artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to expand pregnancy-related information access in the digital space through a tool that can respond to patients’ needs in real time.
Addressing a public health crisis
The United States faces one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations, with specific populations facing even greater risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 80 percent of those deaths are preventable.
“One of the biggest challenges in maternal care is not just access to services but the ability to communicate effectively within the health care system,” said Fazlul, assistant professor in the College of Public Health and the School of Public and International Affairs.
Ishtiaque Fazlul is a Univeristy of Georgia Health Policy & Management Assistant Professor and works with College of Public Health & School of Public and International Affairs.
For many individuals, miscommunication or feeling misunderstood can deepen mistrust of clinicians, creating dangerous gaps in care.
This tool will help close some gaps in care by condensing knowledge from a spectrum of health professionals and community resources into one digital space. It will also encourage birthing parents and their support network to ask questions, learn about options earlier in pregnancy, and approach appointments from an empowered point of view.
“One of our solutions is to use AI/ML methods to mirror what a doula does in a birth setting,” said Fazlul. “They help mothers understand different options for care, what questions to ask a physician, and more.”
Centered on community and collaboration
Like a doula, the tool would work in conjunction with a patients’ health care team, not in opposition to or a replacement for it. The tool will incorporate information from peer-reviewed studies, physicians, lactation specialists, community leaders, therapists and others, providing holistic support to birthing parents.
Researchers hope the tool helps patients understand their options, know how to approach conversations with their doctor, and ultimately bridge the disconnect between health care professionals and their patients, especially in higher risk communities. And through well-rounded sources and review, individuals can turn to the tool when they have questions and know the information is trustworthy.
“Our interest in this is to make sure the information is vetted and gold standard,” McFarlane said.
The focus on just-in-time responses will also help patients understand their options quickly, and in plain language. They can ask questions earlier in the process, rather than facing uncertainty during the birthing process.
“When you’re in the middle of labor, you can barely get out a sentence,” McFarlane said. “How do you expect me to think through the implications of getting or not getting Pitocin?”
Ultimately, she said, it comes down to equipping women with the information needed to develop a strong support system and train that support system as advocates.
“We do this not to take away her voice, but to amplify it, especially as she might not be able to speak at that critical time,” she said.
Community-engaged AI for health
This PAIR-funded project will kick off a new research lab focused on community-engaged AI for health at UGA, headed by McFarlane and Fazlul, with the aim of expanding opportunities to improve health across communities.
By Erica Techo
