Researchers in Germany are leading a new European initiative exploring how artificial intelligence could help healthcare teams better understand patients' experiences.
The project, coordinated by Heidelberg University Hospital, will develop an interactive AI assistant designed to analyse information about the difficulties faced by people receiving care for cancer and mental-health conditions.
The initiative recognises that illness can affect far more than physical symptoms. Patients may experience treatment-related problems, anxiety, concerns about their future and difficulties involving family or employment.
Funded through the European Union's Horizon Europe programme, the project will investigate whether AI can help organise and interpret these experiences in a way that is useful to patients, clinicians and healthcare systems. The technology is being developed as a support tool rather than a substitute for clinical care.