Asian gastro docs generally trust and accept AI: survey
A new international study led by Nanyang Technological University Singapore aims to gain insights into the perceptions of Asian medical professionals on the use of AI in healthcare.
FINDINGS
The researchers surveyed 165 gastroenterologists and gastrointestinal surgeons from Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They were given a questionnaire asking them to rate their level of agreement with statements aimed at measuring their confidence, acceptance and risk perception of using AI in gastroenterology. The questionnaire provided three different scenarios in which AI can occur applied – detection, characterization and intervention.
Based on findings published in the scientific journal JMIR (Journal of Medical Internet Research) AI, approximately eight in ten respondents said they accept and trust the use of AI in diagnosing and assessing colorectal polyps. About 70% said they accept and trust AI-assisted tools in polyp removal, while about 80% said they accept and trust AI in polyp characterization.
While no difference was found in the level of adoption between public and private practices, as well as between large hospitals and small practice groups, years of experience can be an indicator of trust in AI, the researchers noted. The study found that gastroenterologists with less than ten years of clinical experience perceived more risks when using AI-powered tools than their more experienced counterparts.
“Having more clinical experience in the treatment of colorectal polyps among senior gastroenterologists may have given these physicians greater confidence in their medical expertise and practice, thereby increasing confidence in exercising clinical discretion when new technologies are introduced. introduced,” Joseph Sung, NTU professor and one of the co-authors of the study, explained.
Professor Sung also thinks that young gastroenterology doctors are likely to find AI risky, given their lack of confidence in using it for invasive procedures such as removing polyps.
THE BIG TREND
Wilson Goh, an assistant professor at NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine who led the study, said they focused on specialists in gastroenterology given their “heavy use of image-based diagnosis and surgical or endoscopic intervention. ”
This is evident from the increasing availability of AI-powered decision support tools, software and systems for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders across Asia.
Japanese companies, AI Medical Service (AIM) and NEC are well-known developers of diagnostic endoscopy AI. AIM is currently in collaboration with the Stanford University School of Medicine to verify his product. Chinese startup Wision AI also offers a CE-marked AI-powered polyp detection software called EndoScreener.
Meanwhile, Asian universities and hospitals, including the Chinese University of Hong KongThailand Chulalongkorn Universityand the National University Hospital in Singapore have built their AI-powered endoscopic systems to aid in the detection, diagnosis and removal of cancerous gastrointestinal lesions.