Smart Tools, Compassionate Care: Navigating AI in Hospice and Palliative Training

Key Message: As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in healthcare, palliative care education must engage with these tools critically and ethically—leveraging AI to enhance learning, equity, and clinical preparation while preserving the humanistic core of the field.

Abstract: Background / Purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how clinicians access knowledge, interact with data, and communicate in healthcare. In hospice and palliative care, where human presence, empathy, and nuance are core; this shift introduces both opportunities and ethical tensions, particularly in education. While AI offers the potential to enhance learning environments, it also raises concerns about over-reliance, de-skilling, and detachment from reflective practice [1, 2]. This session explores how palliative care educators can responsibly integrate AI into teaching, while preserving the field’s humanistic and relational foundations.
Approach
This presentation will examine emerging uses of AI in health professions education, including communication training via AI-based simulations, adaptive learning platforms, and feedback tools that assess clinical reasoning and documentation [1, 3]. One example includes the use of natural language processing to evaluate empathy in trainee-patient interactions, providing formative feedback without requiring extensive faculty time [2]. Other tools aim to improve curricular equity by detecting bias in case examples or increasing access to expert-level content in underserved settings [4]. Through case studies and discussion, participants will explore a framework for integrating AI in a way that supports professionalism, communication, systems thinking, and equity in palliative education.
Implications / Lessons Learned
While AI cannot and should not seek to replace human connection in palliative care education. However, if used intentionally, it can enhance learning and expand access to high-quality training tools. Educators must equip trainees to critically appraise AI technologies, use them ethically, and remain grounded in person-centered care. By anchoring AI integration in core competencies and reflective practice, palliative care education can evolve without losing its heart [5].

References: 1. Cabrera, D., Voss, K., Kruse, J., & Schaffer, A. (2023). Artificial intelligence in clinical training: Enhancing assessment and simulation in medical education. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 15(1), 45–52. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-22-00321.1
2. Liu, X., Gonzalez, R., & Lin, S. (2024). Evaluating empathy in AI-driven communication simulations for medical students. Medical Teacher, 46(2), 123–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2023.2172987
3. Masters, K., & Lehrer, N. (2022). Adaptive learning technologies in health professions education: A scoping review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 27(4), 843–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10109-3
4. Nouri, S., Khoong, E. C., Lyles, C. R., & Karliner, L. (2021). Addressing equity in telemedicine for chronic disease management during the Covid-19 pandemic. NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.1056/CAT.21.0019
5. Tseng, E., Ristenpart, T., & Dell, N. (2024). Mitigating trauma in qualitative research infrastructure: Roles for machine assistance and trauma-informed design. arXiv preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.03494