Artificial intelligence–enabled tools in cardiovascular medicine: A survey of current use, perceptions, and challenges
Alexander Schepart, Arianna Burton, Larry Durkin, Allison Fuller, Ellyn Charap, Rahul Bhambri, Faraz S. Ahmad
Abstract
BackgroundNumerous artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools for cardiovascular diseases have been published, with a high impact on public health. However, few have been adopted into, or have meaningfully affected, routine clinical care.ObjectiveTo evaluate current awareness, perceptions, and clinical use of AI-enabled digital health tools for patients with cardiovascular disease, and challenges to adoption.MethodsThis mixed-methods study included interviews with 12 cardiologists and 8 health information technology (IT) administrators, and a follow-on survey of 90 cardiologists and 30 IT administrators.ResultsWe identified 5 major challenges: (1) limited knowledge, (2) insufficient usability, (3) cost constraints, (4) poor electronic health record interoperability, and (5) lack of trust. A minority of cardiologists were using AI tools; more were prepared to implement AI tools, but their sophistication level varied greatly.ConclusionMost respondents believe in the potential of AI-enabled tools to improve care quality and efficiency, but they identified several fundamental barriers to wide-scale adoption. Numerous artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools for cardiovascular diseases have been published, with a high impact on public health. However, few have been adopted into, or have meaningfully affected, routine clinical care. To evaluate current awareness, perceptions, and clinical use of AI-enabled digital health tools for patients with cardiovascular disease, and challenges to adoption. This mixed-methods study included interviews with 12 cardiologists and 8 health information technology (IT) administrators, and a follow-on survey of 90 cardiologists and 30 IT administrators. We identified 5 major challenges: (1) limited knowledge, (2) insufficient usability, (3) cost constraints, (4) poor electronic health record interoperability, and (5) lack of trust. A minority of cardiologists were using AI tools; more were prepared to implement AI tools, but their sophistication level varied greatly. Most respondents believe in the potential of AI-enabled tools to improve care quality and efficiency, but they identified several fundamental barriers to wide-scale adoption.