Open AccessPHYSICIANS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MEDICINE, THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND CONCERNS: AN ONLINE MOBILE SURVEY
Author(s) -
Muhammad Alimin Mat Reffien,
Ellyana Mohamad Selamat,
Hanani Nabilah Mohd Sobri,
Mohd Fathulzhafran Mohamed Hanan,
Mohd Ihsanuddin Abas,
Muhiddin Ishak,
Noor Atika Azit,
Noor Dalila Inche Zainal Abidin,
Nor Hazmi Noor Hassim,
Norhayati Ahmad,
Sharifah Ain Shameera Syed Rusli,
Sharifah Fazlinda Syed Nor,
Aniza Ismail
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
malaysian journal of public health medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.16
H-Index - 9
ISSN - 1675-0306
DOI - 10.37268/mjphm/vol.21/no.1/art.742
Subject(s) - variance (accounting) , test (biology) , health care , psychology , family medicine , medicine , medical education , paleontology , accounting , economics , business , biology , economic growth
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise in the healthcare industry. However, the study on the physicians’ perspectives is still lacking. The study aimed to examine physicians’ attitudes, expectations, and concerns regarding the application of AI in medicine. A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2019 among physicians in a tertiary teaching hospital in Malaysia. The survey used a validated questionnaire from the literature, which covered: (1) socio-demographic profile; (2) attitude towards the application of AI; (3) expected application in medicine; and (4) possible risks of using AI. Comparison of the mean score between the groups using a t-test or one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A total of 112 physicians participated in the study: 64.3% from the clinical departments; 35.7% from the non-clinical specialties. The physicians from non-clinical departments had significantly higher mean attitude score (mean = 14.94 ± 3.12) compared to the clinical (person-oriented) departments (mean = 14.13 ± 3.10) and clinical (technique-oriented) departments (mean = 13.06 ± 2.88) (p = 0.033). The tech-savvy participants had a significantly higher mean attitude score (mean = 14.72 ± 3.55) than the non–tech-savvy participants (mean = 13.21 ± 2.46) (p = 0.01). There are differences in the expectations among the respondents and some concerns exist especially on the legal aspect of AI application in medicine. Proper training and orientation should precede its implementation and must be appropriate to the physicians’ needs for its utilization and sustainability.