AI for Kids Oncology Consent – AI4KOnCo

In oncology, and especially in pediatric oncology, treatment involves emotionally stressful situations for patients and their families, even more so than in other areas of medicine.

In this situation, it is important for those affected to receive information about the disease itself, its diagnosis, treatment, and individual prognosis. This information can help them deal with the situation and support them in taking the necessary decisions.

AI4KOnCo is an interdisciplinary project at the interface of medicine, computer science, law, and social sciences. 
The project aims to support medical staff in providing the necessary information in a manner that enables those affected to access relevant information in a high-quality manner tailored to their situation. The goal is to enable parents and patients to make decisions based on the full range of available knowledge (especially medical knowledge) (“informed consent”).

As part of the AI4KOnCo project, research is being conducted into the development of an app that uses linguistic interaction via chat and is based on a question-and-answer system to provide simple, legally compliant, and competent support for patients and their relatives in obtaining information and completing the consent process.

The app is available to patients' parents in several languages, thus addressing social diversity. It is designed to make the doctor's explanations more efficient, avoid misunderstandings by providing verified medical information, and support the success of treatment.

Both the General Data Protection Regulation and the recently introduced EU legislation in the field of data law pose legal challenges for the project. The Chair of Legal Informatics at Saarland University is therefore involved as a legal research partner.