The medical profession transformed by artificial intelligence: Qualitative study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Healthcare delivery is undergoing significant transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
• Physicians are identified as a professional group likely to be substantially impacted by AI integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the perspectives of physicians and AI experts on AI's impact on medical practice.
• To examine AI's influence on physicians' tasks, job security, and work dynamics, including human-AI collaboration and professional relationships.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory qualitative research design was employed.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 experts in AI, medicine, medical informatics, digital medicine, and medical education.
• Thematic analysis was performed on the collected interview transcripts.

Main Results:

• AI is expected to assume specialized physician tasks like bureaucratic duties, clinical decision support, and research.
• Experts believe AI will not replace physicians due to the irreplaceable human element in patient care.
• Physician job profiles will evolve, emphasizing higher-value activities and new human-AI collaborative models, potentially leading to more interprofessional and less hierarchical teams.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates a significant shift in physician job profiles and the emergence of new medical professional roles.
• Physicians must adapt their self-perception and embrace greater responsibility in an AI-augmented medical landscape.
• Future job profiles and educational strategies for health professions need development to align with AI-driven changes.