Nearly two-thirds of physicians said they see the advantages of using artificial intelligence, but only 38% said they were using it, according to an American Medical Association survey.
The survey, administered last summer, asked 1,081 physicians about their views on and use of AI in healthcare. It included 525 physicians who described themselves as "tech adopters" and 556 who described themselves as "tech averse."
Of respondents, 41% said they were both equally excited and concerned about AI in healthcare. More than half (56%) thought AI would be helpful in improving care coordination, patient convenience and patient safety, but 39% were concerned about the impact on patient-physician relationships and 41% concerned about patient privacy.
According to the survey, physicians thought AI would be the most helpful in:
- Diagnostic ability: 72%
- Work efficiency: 69%
- Clinical outcomes: 61%
- Documentation of billing codes, medical charts or visit notes: 54%
- Automation of insurance prior authorization: 48%
- Creation of discharge instructions, care plans or progress notes: 43%
"Whatever the future of health care looks like, patients need to know there is a human being on the other end helping guide their course of care," AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, said in a Jan. 12 news release. "That's essential."