Perceptions of Family Physicians about Applying Artificial Intelligence in Primary Care: A Case Study of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) Qatar (Preprint)

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has proliferated extremely fast in healthcare following the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which was not expected previously. Artificial intelligence (AI) is promising to transform healthcare systems by improving their operational and business processes by efficiently simplifying healthcare tasks for family physicians and healthcare administrators.

This study aimed to determine the role of artificial intelligence in the management and practices of Qatar's Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC)in terms of improving healthcare tasks and healthcare service delivery and to evaluate AI ethical issues from the perspective of family physicians.

A cross-sectional survey. An online questionnaire survey link was sent to 724 practising family physicians at Primary Healthcare Corporation, Qatar.

About (70.6%) of respondents were males, and (92.2%) belonged to those aged between 35 and 54 years. About (56.9%) were consultants. The overall awareness of AI was (77.6%), with no difference between gender (P =.479) and age groups (P =.289). AI is likely to play a positive role in improving healthcare practice at PHCC (P < .001), managing healthcare tasks (P <.001), and AI positively impacts healthcare service delivery (P < .001). Family physicians' clinical, administrative, and opportunistic healthcare management roles are positively impacted by artificial intelligence (P < .001). Artificial intelligence improves operational and human resource management (P < .001), does not subvert patient-physician relationships (P < .001), and is superior to human physicians in the judgment process (P < .001). However, including it decreases patient satisfaction (P < .001). AI decision-making and accountability were recognized as ethical risks, along with data protection and confidentiality. Optimism about using AI for future medical decisions was low among family physicians.

AI is a very beneficial tool for primary healthcare. It is promising to improve human resource management, operational process and positively impact job roles of primary care physicians thus augmenting their roles instead of replacing them. However, its implementation should be after meticulous review considering its data privacy/confidentiality and patient satisfaction reductions risks along with AI decision making ethical challenges.