Knowledge and Perception of Practicing Doctors on Artificial Intelligence Application in Medicine

Background and Objectives: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is gaining importance in every field, including medicine. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and perception of practicing doctors on artificial intelligence application in medicine. Methods: This study was conducted among doctors of Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur using a nonprobability convenience sampling strategy. The tool included questions on socio-demographics and to assess the knowledge and perception of doctors about the application of artificial intelligence in medicine and medical practices. Data were entered and analyzed in SPSS. Results: Most of the respondents were postgraduate residents (45.7%). There were 73.3% participants who already knew about the applications of AI in medicine but only a few (13.3%) had read any academic literature about it. There were 42.9% participants who think that the AI will 'moderately affect' the field of medicine and around 33% of participants reported that Radiology will be the specialty to be 'most affected' by AI. There were 9.5% of the respondents strongly agreed and 31.5% agreed that AI will replace the future medical practitioners. Still, the majority of the respondents agreed that the medical curriculum should incorporate the component of AI for the students. Conclusion: Most of the doctors lack formal education in artificial intelligence. However, they hold a favorable opinion of AI in healthcare and open to incorporating it. Because the AI is the future of healthcare, so it is essential to integrate AI training into medical education.