The ethics of using virtual assistants to help people in vulnerable positions access care.

ABSTRACT: People in vulnerable positions who need support in their daily lives often face challenges in receiving timely access to care; for instance, due to disabilities or individual and situational vulnerabilities. There has been an increasing turn to technology-mediated ways to improve access to care, which has raised ethical questions about the appropriateness and inclusiveness of digitalising care requests. Specifically, for people in vulnerable positions, digitalisation is meant to facilitate requests for access to healthcare resources and to simplify the process of navigating the healthcare system. In a multidisciplinary research project, we examined the use and value of a 'sensitive' virtual assistant that can accommodate different needs of target groups through inclusive design, adaptive t

SUBMITTER: Kraaijeveld SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12772568 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature