Often AI is given a negative image but it’s power for good is greater. For example, knowing what we know about how people report things why is it that we still use self-assessment questionnaires in the NHS and healthcare practices? They may be the standard practice but are they accurate?
They are inexpensive and fast but in today’s data rich world, are they the best way to understand and help patients?
They have huge disadvantages, however. Dr Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, outlines the pros and cons of self-assessments in her study ‘The Use of Self-Report Data in Psychology.’ These include the following.
People are often either consciously or unconsciously influenced by "social desirability." That is, they are more likely to report experiences that are considered to be socially acceptable or preferred rather than the facts.
Honesty: Subjects may make the more socially acceptable answer rather than being truthful.
Introspective ability: The subjects may not be able to assess themselves accurately.
Interpretation of questions: The wording of the questions may be confusing or have different meanings to different subjects.
Rating scales: Rating something yes or no can be too restrictive, but numerical scales also can be inexact and subject to individual inclination to give an extreme or middle response to all questions.
Response bias: Questions are subject to all of the biases of what the previous responses were whether they relate to recent or considerable experience and other factors.
Sampling bias: The people who complete the questionnaire are the sort of people who will complete a questionnaire. Are they representative of the population you wish to study?
Also, NHS has reported that up to 61% OF patients do not understand the health information given to them, which indicates that self-assessment and outcomes are not accurate in reflecting the true facts of patients’ condition.
To address this challenge, we at Mindar, are using voice acoustics, machine learning and AI to objectively measure mental health of young people, all they need is mobile phone. Our platform measures minute changes in voice patterns linked to mental health conditions to give a reading of mental fitness in minutes. Think of the impact on people and services that would have.
For more information contact me, Zulf Choudhary at Mindar.
Mindar is the trading style of Sparta Software Ltd based at MMU, Innospace, Archways, Manchester M15.5RL.
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