Study: Family Physicians View AI as Enhancing—but Not Replacing—Their Roles

A recent cross-sectional survey evaluated the perspectives of family physicians at Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) on artificial intelligence (AI) integration in primary care, assessing its perceived benefits, risks, and ethical implications.

The survey results indicated that AI is widely viewed as a beneficial tool for improving health care task management, service delivery, and operational efficiency. AI’s adoption in health care has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, making it necessary to assess how physicians perceive its impact on their roles. While AI has the potential to enhance efficiency, it also raises ethical and professional concerns, particularly in areas such as decision-making accountability and data privacy.

Researchers conducted a web-based survey of 724 practicing family physicians at PHCC, receiving 102 eligible responses. The survey assessed physicians’ awareness of AI, perceptions of its impact on clinical and administrative roles, and concerns regarding ethical and professional risks. Key comparisons were analyzed by gender and age group.

Among the respondents, 78.4% were aware of AI, with no significant differences by gender (P = .06) or age group (P = .12). AI was perceived to positively impact health care task management (P < .001), service delivery (P < .001), and physicians’ roles in clinical, administrative, and opportunistic health care (P < .001). Family physicians also noted AI’s benefits for operational and human resource management (P < .001) and did not believe it would undermine patient-physician relationships (P < .001). However, AI was not viewed as superior to human physicians in clinical judgment (P < .001), and its implementation was associated with concerns about decreased patient satisfaction (P < .001). Ethical risks were identified, including decision-making accountability and data protection. Notably, optimism about AI’s role in future medical decision-making was low.

This study was limited by a relatively small sample size and its focus on a single health system, which may not reflect perspectives in other settings. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported perceptions introduces potential bias.

“This study indicated a positive perception among family physicians regarding AI integration into primary care settings,” the authors concluded. “While the implementation of AI is anticipated to bring benefits, the careful consideration of ethical, privacy, confidentiality, and patient-centric concerns is essential.”

Reference

Waheed MA, Liu L. Perceptions of family physicians about applying AI in primary health care: case study from a premier health care organization. JMIR AI. 2024;3:e40781. doi:10.2196/40781