FUTURE CONSULTATION

In 2023, I started my PhD studies at the University of Debrecen under the supervision of Dr Bertalan Meskó (The Medical Futurist), as a world leader in medical futurology.

Recent cultural changes in healthcare have changed the relationship between doctors and their patients. As patients have become increasingly informed and 'empowered' - perhaps these words capture the meaning of the term 'empowered patient' - they have sought a more active role in the decisions that affect their health.  in decision-making. The doctor is no longer the all-knowing, all-keeping-secrets expert, the patient is the expert on their own body and health, and decision-making is increasingly shared. Meanwhile, doctors have found a new role for themselves, moving away from the traditional patriarchal, autocratic system. As mentors, coaches and guides, they help patients on their journey to health. 

Medicine is highly dependent on technology, and the pace of progress in health technology is impressive. The rapid changes in healthcare over the past decade, technological advances and the emergence of medical artificial intelligence (AI) present new opportunities and challenges for healthcare professionals. The incredibly rapid technological advances in healthcare are accompanied by a cultural revolution, cultural in nature. 

Given the cultural nature of the digital transformation, it is important how healthcare workers approach technological innovation. Given the shortage of doctors and other pressures on the health sector, the effort, time and skills required to adopt innovations are particularly important. Artificial intelligence has the potential to alleviate the human resource crisis in healthcare by facilitating and accelerating diagnosis, decision-making, data analysis and administration. It can take the burden off doctors' shoulders by outsourcing all repetitive work based on data analysis, so that doctors can truly focus on what they used to be passionate about: healing and the patient.

The literature abounds with articles that explore doctors' attitudes and opinions towards medical AI. Almost all articles acknowledge negative emotions, such as fear and resistance, but refrain from thoroughly exploring the deeper causes of these emotions. In addition, there is a noticeable lack of in-depth analysis of potential strategies to alleviate negative emotions, even though alleviating resistance is critical due to the excessive workload of physicians, whose mental and physical well-being is significantly below ideal. The health profession is facing a severe shortage of doctors and the health sector is  is also one of the most vulnerable areas to burnout.

The health and mental well-being of health professionals paints a frightening picture. Previous studies have shown that the mortality rate for doctors is higher than the mortality rate for the same age group (Balog, 1978; Molnár & Mezey). Typical problems of health professionals include overwork, long working hours and insufficient sleep. They smoke more, take more sleeping pills, are less physically active, have higher alcohol consumption, higher incidence of depressive symptoms and higher incidence of suicidal thoughts and attempts.  These dramatic figures also show that any tool that can lift the burden off the shoulders of health workers and help them do their jobs more effectively is worth supporting. 

In my own research, I set myself the goal of,  to understand exactly what concerns doctors have about the use of medical AI and to identify factors that may be preventing them from incorporating this technology into their own professional practice.   Without being exhaustive, I will now highlight some of the issues most addressed in the literature: will AI take my job, will it lead to a reduction in my abilities, is it ethical enough, is it properly regulated, what should I do if my personal professional opinion differs from the diagnosis or treatment plan suggested by AI, is patient data safe, who is responsible for the AI's error, the doctor, the developer or the patient who has agreed to use medical AI? These are incredibly exciting questions at the beginning of a whole new era.

By identifying and categorising these concerns, they aim to contribute to the development of practice education and support measures to ensure that medical AI is used effectively, proactively and enjoyably in practice by both patients and healthcare professionals. I want to contribute to a health care system that is more enjoyable, more relaxed and more lovable for both doctors and patients. 

Nóra Árvai

University of Debrecen Laki Kálmán Doctoral School