Doctors Unprepared for AI Revolution in Medicine: Study

University of Maryland School of Medicine reports alarming findings

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how medicine is practiced and delivered. AI can help doctors diagnose diseases, predict outcomes, recommend treatments, and improve efficiency. However, a recent study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine warns that doctors need to prepare for the AI transformation of medicine and need more training and education to adapt to the new era.

The study, published in the journal BMJ Health & Care Informatics, surveyed 551 doctors from 40 countries about their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceptions of AI in medicine. The results showed that:

Most doctors (82%) had a positive attitude towards AI and believed it would improve healthcare quality and patient outcomes.

However, only 18% of doctors reported having sufficient knowledge and skills to use AI in their practice, and only 15% had received formal training on AI.

The main barriers to adopting AI were lack of trust, ethical concerns, legal liability, data privacy, and human-AI interaction.

The main sources of information about AI were online courses, journals, conferences, and social media.

The main areas where doctors wanted to use AI were diagnosis, decision support, research, education, and administration.

The study concluded that there is a gap between the expectations and the reality of AI in medicine. The authors recommended that medical education incorporate AI as a core competency and provide more opportunities for doctors to learn about AI and its applications. They also suggested collaborating with other stakeholders, such as patients, policymakers, researchers, and industry partners, to ensure that AI is used safely, ethically, and beneficially.