primary care provider clinician physician doctor Fewer than one-third of primary care clinicians have a say in selecting the AI products their institutions expect them to fold into their clinical workflows. That’s a problem.
Why? Because the degree to which AI tools get appropriately deployed in real-world settings depends greatly on buy-in levels from end-users. And technology resistance can fester and spread among workers in any field who feel changes have been foisted on them from above.
The conductors of a new survey—the nonprofit org Rock Health and the American Academy of Family Physicians—make the point in a report published Feb. 24.
The survey went out last fall to more than 1,200 family doctors and other PCPs. Here are excerpts from the report. 1. Family physicians and other primary care providers (PCPs) are actively exploring AI both personally and professionally.
Half of respondents reported having used AI tools for at least one use case at work. Some 62% said they use generative AI tools like ChatGPT outside of work; among those that haven’t, 80% expressed a desire to do so. ‘We might have expected that residents and early-career physicians (those within 10 years post-residency) would lead the charge adopting AI tools. However, early-career respondents were no more likely to have tried AI solutions than their more established colleagues.’ 2. Close to 1 in 5 PCPs use AI tools daily in their personal lives.
This outpaces the adoption rate of the general U.S. population, where only 6.4% report daily personal AI use. ‘Workwise, more than 90% of survey respondents have tried or are open to trying a variety of professional AI categories—including more nascent AI use cases such as behavioral health support and population health management.’ 3. Most PCPs have limited influence over the AI tools available in their practices.
Almost two-thirds, 65%, said they have limited or no input on AI purchasing decisions. The gap between AI buyers and users isn’t entirely surprising considering how the practice landscape has shifted from physician-owned and -led practices toward more of an employment model. ‘Given the high costs, inherent risks and desire […]
Primary care is primed for AI. But is AI aligned with primary care?
