Understanding Physician Attitudes Toward AI in Clinical Decision-Making: Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Healthcare Technology Adoption

Background:

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is actively promoting advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
• Physician perception is critical for successful AI adoption in healthcare.
• Limited data exists on KSA physicians' perspectives regarding AI in medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey KSA-licensed physicians' attitudes toward AI.
• To gather updated statistics on ethical and practical viewpoints concerning AI in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 201 physicians in KSA.
• Online, self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection.
• Descriptive statistics were employed for analysis due to the exploratory nature of the study.

Main Results:

• 82.1% of physicians trusted AI for clinical decision-making; 76.6% believed AI improves healthcare efficiency.
• Only 25.9% of physicians had used AI in the past year.
• Key barriers included lack of training, high costs, resistance to change, privacy concerns, data security, AI bias, patient autonomy, and liability issues.

Conclusions:

• Physicians in KSA generally support AI in healthcare.
• Financial, ethical, and training barriers hinder AI adoption.
• Informed consent and comprehensive staff training are recommended solutions.