Searching for Value Sensitive Design in Applied Health AI: A Narrative Review.

Objective: Recent advances in the implementation of healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) have drawn attention toward design methods to address the impacts on workflow. Lesser known than human-centered design, Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is an established framework integrating values into conceptual, technical, and empirical investigations of technology. We sought to study the current state of the literature intersecting elements of VSD with practical applications of healthcare AI.

Methods: Using a modified VSD framework attentive to AI-specific values, we conducted a narrative review informed by PRISMA guidelines and assessed VSD elements across design and implementation case studies.

Results: Our search produced 819 articles that went through multiple rounds of review. Nine studies qualified for full-text review. Most of the studies focused on values for the individual or professional practice such as trust and autonomy. Attention to organizational (e.g., stewardship, employee well-being) and societal (e.g., equity, justice) values was lacking. Studies were primarily from the U.S. and Western Europe.

Conclusion: Future design studies might better incorporate components of VSD by considering larger domains, organizational and societal, in value identification and to bridge to design processes that are not just human-centered but value sensitive. The small number of heterogeneous studies underlines the importance of broader studies of elements of VSD to inform healthcare AI in practice.