Medical Doctors’ Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare
A low degree of familiarity with AI is revealed, highlighting the need for medical schools and hospitals to establish specialized education and training programs for physicians to improve patient outcomes.
Abstract
Introduction With the current exponential expansion of robotics, implants, and imaging technologies, diagnostic processes within the healthcare industry are becoming popular platforms for artificial intelligence (AI) use. Thus, an understanding of physicians’ attitudes toward AI and the extent to which medical educators are ready to work with AI is necessary. This research aimed to study doctors’ perceptions of AI in healthcare. Methods A web-based questionnaire organized into four sections, namely, demographics, concepts of AI, education in AI, and implementation challenges related to AI, was designed systematically based on a literature search and circulated among medical doctors from various fields. Results Study participants exhibited a lower score toward familiarity with AI. Only 52.12% (74/142) of physicians completed the survey. The greatest challenge associated with the use of AI in therapeutic settings was found to be the degree of autonomy, with a score of 3.56. Among the participants, 67.61% felt that the lack of human supervision was the most important limiting factor in the implementation of AI in clinical practice. However, the participants demonstrated a strong interest in understanding the concepts of AI in the near future. Conclusion This study revealed a low degree of familiarity with AI, highlighting the need for medical schools and hospitals to establish specialized education and training programs for physicians to improve patient outcomes.