Artificial intelligence, health empowerment, and the general practitioner scheme

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy
• Digital health
• General practice

Background:

• The Norwegian general practitioner (GP) system faced a "GP crisis" due to significant pressure.
• Increased funding has led to a nearly 50% reduction in Norwegians without a designated GP.
• Average GP patient lists have decreased to below 1000 individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sustainable solutions for the Norwegian GP scheme.
• To investigate the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health tools.
• To reduce GP workload and improve patient health management.

Main Methods:

• Commentary and exploration of existing and emerging technologies.
• Analysis of the impact of increased funding and reduced patient lists.
• Discussion of AI, wearable devices, and health companion technologies.

Main Results:

• A positive trend has emerged with reduced numbers of patients without a GP.
• GP patient lists are becoming shorter, averaging under 1000 patients.
• AI and digital health present potential avenues for alleviating GP burden.

Conclusions:

• Maintaining the positive trend requires either more GPs or sustainable workload solutions.
• AI, wearable devices, and health companions can support GPs and empower patients.
• These technologies offer a path to reduce healthcare costs and improve system sustainability.