Bridging culture and care through narrative design of AI systems.

Abstract: Reliance on data-driven models to improve efficiency and patient outcomes must be balanced with cultural competency in clinical decision-making. I explore the development and implementation of AI-enhanced cultural competency tools that can help healthcare providers incorporate cultural, spiritual, and personal patient narratives into their workflows. This presentation outlines how patient stories, particularly those rooted in cultural beliefs and practices, can be integrated into AI-driven electronic health records (EHRs) by drawing inspiration from Myal by Jamaican writer Erna Brodber. Myal depicts the tensions between colonial medical structures and traditional Afro-Caribbean healing practices and illustrates the ways in which spiritual and cultural frameworks shape perceptions of health, illness, and recovery. Brodber emphasizes the importance of holistic healing, where psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions are as critical as physical treatment.

Through a close reading of the novel and a focus on narrative design in AI algorithms, I examine how AI-assisted tools can be created and applied in practice. The features of such AI-assisted toold that my presentation will therefore include a focus on structured patient storytelling through questionnaires, alerts that flag culturally significant concerns, and support systems that integrate traditional healing methods alongside modern medical practices. My model of narrative driven AI-assisted care fosters more inclusive, empathetic, and patient-centered care in an increasingly diverse and technologically advanced healthcare landscape.

Integrating narrative medicine into data-driven healthcare guarantees that patients are treated holistically through attention to both their medical needs and cultural identities.

Keywords: Cultural Competency in Healthcare, Narrative medicine, AI-Driven Clinical Decision Support