Patient Preferences in Empathetic Communication by AI vs Human Authorship

A Survey of Patient Preferences on Empathetic Communication in Outpatient Palliative Care

This study aims to evaluate whether patients have different preference patterns for empathetic communication through AI vs human-being when knowledge of authorship is known vs blinded.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Preference, Patient
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Survey

Detailed Description

Hypothesis:

Patients will express increased preference for human-generated empathetic communication vs AI-generated empathetic communication when they are made aware of authorship vs when blinded to it.

Aims, purpose, or objectives:

Evaluate if patients have different preference patterns for empathetic communication through AI vs human-being when knowledge of authorship is known vs blinded

Background:

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining a foothold in the healthcare industry. AI's role in healthcare can largely be divided into two sets of tasks: Those which involve direct interaction with patients and those which do not. Many tasks which do not directly interact with patients, such as monitoring and resupplying medications, delivering goods across a hospital, and analyzing practice trends and outcomes are highly likely to benefit from the efficiency, cost-savings, and consistency AI can provide. Tasks involving direct patient interaction are considerably more controversial. Understanding of how patients will respond to AI communication remains quite limited which is concerning considering the rapid expansion of AI into the healthcare space. A logical first step to investigate is to see if patients react to AI communication when they are blinded to it vs when authorship is known. This concept has previously been tested in other industries such as business and the law, but patient communication preference in healthcare has been little studied, especially in palliative care. It is the aim of this study to investigate this.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 202
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients over the age of 18 being seen in palliative care clinic who have already established care and with diagnosis of any malignancy

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients over the age of 18 being seen in palliative care clinic who have already established care and with diagnosis of any malignancy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to consent defined as: Acute mental status changes (delirium/encephalopathy), acute substance intoxication, intellectual disability, dementia, patient with active legal guardian

• Major psychiatric disorders including, but not limited to, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, active substance use disorder, and patients with active suicidal or homicidal thoughts.

  • NOTE: Patients with history of normal grieving reactions, major unipolar depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder or generalized anxiety disorder would NOT be excluded.
• Inability to read in English

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Survey Group - Blinded; Participants will be blinded to origin of survey statements	Other: Survey; Patients complete survey
Survey Group - Unblinded; Participants will be informed of origin of survey statements	Other: Survey; Patients complete survey

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Preference patterns for empathetic communication	Assessed by a brief survey: patients will be show two brief empathetic statements related to their serious illness diagnosis (Cancer), one generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and one generated by a human physician in palliative care who were both given the same writing instructions and generated their responses independently. Half of the surveys will label which statement is generated by human or AI unblinded group) and the other half will be blinded to statement authorship. Preference will be compared between the blinded and unblinded groups.	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: April Christensen, MD, MS, Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Mayo Clinic Clinical Trials

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 21, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 13, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 13, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): February 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 14, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: AI
• Other Study ID Numbers: 24-010821

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No