Comprehensive Summary
This paper, written by Karl T. Clebak et al., delves into the use and potential adoption of artificial intelligence in family medicine. SurveyMonkey was used to send a questionnaire to 218 family medicine department chairs via email from August 13th to September 20th, 2024. Participants were asked several questions regarding AI in the clinical setting, including perceived importance and goals for integration. A 6-point Likert scale was used where 0 indicated “no plans to use” and 5 indicated “extensive plans.” Due to the small sample size, the data analysis focused on medians and proportions with use of Chi Square for categorical data and Wilcoxon Rank Sum/Kruskal-Wallis for non normal data. Results showed that in the US, the North, South, Midwest, and West reported an AI adoption of around 50% with no statistically significant regional differences. As for primary goals with AI, 52.3% reported clinical operations, 16.5% reported administered streamlining, 11.9% reported education and 4.6% reported research. The authors conclude that overall, family medicine leaders view AI integration as important for the future, but more research must be done in order to develop policies for safe implementation of these tools.
Outcomes and Implications
Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize primary care and family medicine through several ways including helping with patient diagnosis, or organizing workflow for doctors and staff. The authors argue that in order for successful implementation, there needs to be a standardization of how and when to implement AI strategies in a clinical setting, as well as clear budget allocations and policies set in place. Clebak also notes limitations in this study, such as the use of self-reported data which could introduce bias towards those who favor AI. Yet, the findings reveal that there is a clear and growing role for AI in the field of family medicine.