Abstract
PurposeChildren suffering from cancer or cardiovascular disease, who need extended periods of treatment in hospitals, are subjected to multiple hardships apart from the physical implications, for example, experienced isolation and disrupted social and academic development. This has negative effects long after the child's recovery from the illness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the non-medical needs of children suffering from a long-term illness, as well as research the field of artificial intelligence (AI) – more specifically, the use of socially intelligent agents (SIAs) – in order to study how technology can enhance children's interaction, participation and quality of life.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were performed with experts in three fields: housing manager for hospitalized children, a professor in computing science and researcher in AI, and an engineer and developer at a tech company.FindingsIt is important for children to be able to take control of the narrative by using an SIA to support the documentation of their period of illness, for example. This could serve as a way of processing emotions, documenting educational development or keeping a reference for later in life. The findings also show that the societal benefits of AI include automating mundane tasks and recognizing patterns.Originality/valueThe originality of this study concerns the holistic approach of increasing the knowledge and understanding of these children's specific needs and challenges, particularly regarding their participation and interaction with teachers and friends at school, using an SIA.
Highlights
Children suffering from a long-term illness are subjected to multiple hardships
This study investigated their experiences concerning the opportunities and challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI)-based socially intelligent agents (SIAs) in enhancing the quality of life of children with a long-term illness, with regards to focusing on avoiding a perceived feeling of isolation and increasing the children’s participation and interaction with teachers and friends at school
The aim was to investigate the non-medical needs of children suffering from a long-term illness, as well as research the field of AI and the use of SIAs in this context
Summary
Apart from the physical implications of their condition, they can experience isolation, disrupted social and educational development and the psychological distress of dealing with problems far beyond their level of maturity. This is shown to have negative effects long after the child’s recovery from the disease (van Dongen-Melman, 2000). It is important to be treated for the impact of a disease and receive support for quality of life during and after a disease to ensure the well-being of the individual This includes treating the social and emotional effects. Researchers utilized the more general concept of health-related quality of life (HRQoL; e.g. Anthony et al, 2014; AlGamal and Long, 2016)
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