Attitudes of Anesthesiologists Towards Artificial Intelligence in Anesthesia: An International, Mixed Qualitative-Quantitative Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to play an increasingly important role in perioperative medicine in the very near future. However, little is known about what anesthesiologists know and think about AI in this context. This is important because the successful introduction of new technologies depends on the understanding and cooperation of end users. OBJECTIVE Investigate how much anesthesiologists know about AI, and what they think about the introduction of AI-based technologies into the clinical setting. METHODS In order to better understand what anesthesiologists think of AI, we recruited 21 anesthesiologists from two university hospitals for face-to-face structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to statements derived from these interviews, and key themes were determined. Subsequently, a survey of closed questions based on these themes was sent to 70 anesthesiologists from three university hospitals for rating. RESULTS In the interviews, the base level of knowledge of AI was good at 86 of 90 statements (96%), although awareness of potential applications of AI in anesthesia was poor at only 7 of 42 statements (17%). Regarding the implementation of AI in anesthesia, statements were split roughly evenly between pros (46 of 105, 44%) and cons (59 of 105, 56%). Interviewees considered that AI could usefully be used in diverse tasks such as risk stratification, the prediction of vital sign changes, or as a treatment guide. The validity of these themes was probed in a follow-up survey of 70 anesthesiologists with a response rate of 70%, which confirmed an overall positive view of AI in this group. CONCLUSIONS Anesthesiologists hold a range of opinions, both positive and negative, regarding the application of AI in their field of work. Survey-based studies do not always uncover the full breadth of nuance of opinion amongst clinicians. Engagement with specific concerns, both technical and ethical, will prove important as this technology moves from research into the clinic.