The prerequisites for artificial intelligence in Danish general practice: A qualitative vignette study among general practitioners (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Artificial intelligence has been deemed revolutionary in medicine, but very few artificial intelligence solutions have been observed in Danish general practice. General practice in Denmark has an excellent system of digitization to develop and utilize artificial intelligence. However, a lack of involvement of general practitioners in the development of artificial intelligence exists. The perspectives of general practitioners as end users are essential to facilitate the development and implementation of artificial intelligence in general practice. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to characterize the prerequisites that must be met to enable the development and implementation of artificial intelligence in Danish general practice. METHODS This study applied semi-structured interviews and vignettes to gain perspectives on the potential for developing and implementing artificial intelligence among general practitioners. Twelve general practitioners were interviewed, resulting in an exhaustive dataset. The interviews were transcribed, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify the dominant themes throughout the data. RESULTS Four main themes were identified in the data analysis as prerequisites that general practitioners found important to consider when developing and implementing AI in general practice: ‘AI must begin with the low-hanging fruit’, ‘AI must be meaningful in the GP’s work’, ‘The GP-patient relationship must be maintained despite AI’, and ‘AI must be a free, active, and integrated option in the EHR’. CONCLUSIONS The four themes contributing to defining prerequisites for artificial intelligence can potentially lead the first steps of future development and implementation of artificial intelligence in Danish general practice. The participating general practitioners were positive towards developing and implementing artificial intelligence in their clinics, and it would be valuable to consider the defined prerequisites when considering new artificial intelligence tools for general practice.