Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Anesthesia and Thoracic Surgery Medical Staff Toward Ai-PCA

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly influencing various medical fields, including anesthesiology. The Introduction of artificial intelligent patient-controlled analgesia (Ai-PCA) has been seen as a significant advancement in pain management. However, the adoption and practical application of Ai-PCA by medical staff, particularly in anesthesia and thoracic surgery, have not been extensively studied. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among anesthesia and thoracic surgery medical staff toward artificial intelligent patient-controlled analgesia (Ai-PCA).

This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between November 1, 2023 and November 15, 2023 at Jiangsu Cancer Hospital. A self-designed questionnaire was developed to collect demographic information of anesthesia and thoracic surgery medical staff, and to assess their knowledge, attitudes and practices toward Ai-PCA.

A total of 519 valid questionnaires were collected. Among the participants, 278 (53.56%) were female, 497 (95.76%) were employed in the field of anesthesiology, and 188 (36.22%) had participated in Ai-PCA training. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 7.8±1.75 (possible range: 0-10), 37.43±4.16 (possible range: 9-45), and 28.38±9.27 (possible range: 9-45), respectively.

The findings revealed that anesthesia and thoracic surgery medical staff have sufficient knowledge, active attitudes, but poor practices toward the Ai-PCA. Comprehensive training programs are needed to improve anesthesia and thoracic surgery medical staff's practices in this area.