Clinicians and AI use: where is the professional guidance?

Area of Science:

• Healthcare technology
• Medical informatics
• Clinical decision support

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare, necessitating professional guidance for its effective use.
• Recent reports focus on AI in healthcare but lack specific guidance for clinical end-users of AI clinical decision support systems (AI-CDDSs).
• Existing guidance primarily targets developers and purchasers, not the frontline clinicians using these AI tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the critical need for professional guidance for clinical users of AI-CDDSs.
• To argue that current guidance inadequately addresses the needs of healthcare professionals using AI tools.
• To advocate for the development of specific guidelines to mitigate risks associated with AI-CDDS use in patient care.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent reports on AI in healthcare from NHS AI Lab & Health Education England.
• Critical analysis of the existing guidance framework for AI-CDDSs.
• Argumentative approach to underscore the deficit in user-centric guidance.

Main Results:

• A significant gap exists in professional guidance for clinical users of AI-CDDSs.
• Current training and guidance are insufficient to address the complexities of AI-CDDS implementation in clinical practice.
• Failure to provide adequate guidance poses risks to clinical, professional, and reputational safety.

Conclusions:

• Professional guidance for clinical users of AI-CDDSs is essential to ensure safety and build trust.
• Training alone is insufficient; establishing clear professional guidance on rights and expectations is paramount.
• A call to action for clinical regulators to collaborate on drafting comprehensive user guidance for AI-CDDSs, addressing responsibility and risk management.