Status of AI-Enabled Clinical Decision Support Systems Implementations in China

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
• Clinical Decision Support

Background:

• AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support Systems (AI+CDSSs) show great promise for advancing healthcare.
• Significant investment in AI+CDSSs development necessitates understanding their real-world implementation.
• Assessing the current status of AI+CDSSs in clinical practice is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the current implementation status of AI+CDSSs in Chinese hospitals.
• To identify concerns related to the current and future implementation of AI+CDSSs.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 160 tertiary hospitals across six Chinese provinces.
• Descriptive analysis, Fisher exact test, and Mann-Whitney U-test were employed.
• Statistical analysis to compare implemented and non-implemented hospitals.

Main Results:

• 23.75% of surveyed hospitals (38/160) had implemented AI+CDSSs.
• Significant differences observed in hospital grade, scale, and patient volume between implemented and non-implemented facilities.
• Most respondents (81.58%) reported neutral to satisfied with AI+CDSSs, citing system function, data quality, and bias as key concerns.

Conclusions:

• AI+CDSSs are not yet widespread in Chinese clinical settings.
• Healthcare professionals recognize both the potential advantages and existing challenges of in-hospital AI+CDSSs.
• Further development and integration strategies are needed to address identified concerns.