Fine Research Survey Reveals Healthcare Practitioners' Perceptions of AI

Fine Research Survey Reveals Healthcare Practitioners’ Perceptions of AI

Fine Research is pleased to announce the release of a comprehensive report about IA Impact in HCP practice in Latin America and Spain.

This large sclae survey, encompasses 1352 healthcare practitioners to gain insights into how healthcare professionals perceive artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on their professional practices.

This survey initiative is a part of Fine Research’s corporate social responsibility program. It represents an effort to engage with a public interest topic, conducted independently of any specific client, with the intention of fostering discussion and knowledge-sharing within the medical and insights communities.

Furthermore, this project contributes to social impact by linking each HCP survey response to a donation to the Save The Children program, aimed at supporting indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico.

AI in Healthcare

Healthcare practitioners, while possessing a degree of familiarity with AI, primarily associate this technology with various applications in their daily lives. However, only a minority of HCPs are actively acquainted with AI’s current use in their professional domain. Presently, the most prevalent application of AI in healthcare is the utilization of virtual chatbots, with ChatGPT being a notable example.

To investigate the potential efficacy of AI as a support tool, a small-scale experiment was conducted. Four oncologists and ChatGPT were asked to provide insights on the future of oncology. Subsequently, the 1352 participating physicians were presented with these responses and asked to identify the one they deemed most suitable. Remarkably, ChatGPT generated an answer that was perceived by participants as equivalent to those from oncology specialists, with ChatGPT’s response and one oncologist’s response receiving the highest ratings. Interestingly, the majority of doctors were unable to distinguish between AI-generated and human-authored responses. Those who correctly identified ChatGPT’s response often did so based on its perceived level of elaboration, while those who missed tended to consider it too well-crafted to be algorithmically generated.

The survey’s experiment, involving AI-generated responses and human specialists’ insights, demonstrated that AI can produce responses that are on par with those from domain experts, often leaving healthcare practitioners unable to differentiate between the two. This intriguing finding underscores the potential of AI to assist and augment medical decision-making.

While physicians exhibit a strong belief in AI’s transformative potential within their specialty, they maintain a cautiously optimistic outlook on its benefits. Consequently, they express a strong desire for training to equip them for the integration of this technology into their medical practice.

However, some concerns remain. Physicians are apprehensive about the potential interference of technology in their patient relationships, including the risks associated with self-diagnosis and the erosion of the physician-patient bond. A secondary concern pertains to the possibility of diagnostic or treatment errors due to technology or its misuse, leading to challenges in determining responsibilities, establishing regulatory policies, and addressing uncertainties in the event of potential harm.

Awareness of privacy breaches and concerns related to algorithm-associated discrimination and disparities in access also exist among healthcare practitioners.

Overall, healthcare practitioners advocate for a cautious approach to AI integration in medicine, with only a minority holding either enthusiastic or hypercritical positions. Notably, there are regional variations, with Spanish HCPs being more inclined to support AI development, while Latin American HCPs express more reservations. Similar differences are observed by medical specialty, with fields such as Oncology, Rheumatology, and Cardiology displaying heightened interest.

AI in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Healthcare practitioners consider AI’s most promising application in the pharmaceutical sector to be in the discovery of new medications. Additionally, AI’s use in the design and execution of clinical trials, with the potential to accelerate timelines and facilitate personalized precision medicine, garners significant interest.

Conversely, the use of chatbots or virtual platforms for direct patient interaction appears to be less appealing to HCPs. While there is a demand for AI training, not all physicians believe that the pharmaceutical industry should take the lead in providing such training. Brazilian physicians, in particular, exhibit a lower level of receptiveness to this idea.

Furthermore, most healthcare professionals anticipate a significant transformation in sales representative visits facilitated by AI. This transformation presents both positive aspects, such as AI’s ability to identify personalized treatment recommendations, and potential drawbacks, including the weakening of professional relationships.

Conclusion: Embracing AI in Healthcare with both Caution and Optimism

In conclusion, the survey conducted by Fine Research sheds light on the perceptions of healthcare practitioners regarding the integration of artificial intelligence into their professional lives.

As the healthcare community navigates the evolving landscape of AI, the survey results suggest that a cautious approach is favored, with an emphasis on ethical considerations, responsible use, and continued professional development. Striking the right balance between embracing AI’s potential and addressing its associated challenges will be crucial in shaping the future of healthcare.

Click HERE to download the detailed results