AI in Healthcare—The Pre-hospital Medical Specialists’ Perception
摘要
Nowadays the artificial intelligence is widely used in almost every sphere of our life. It has been applied in most of the medical specialties and it is transforming the medical decision-making process – from the diagnostic testing procedures to the treatment protocols and preventive measures planning. COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reshaped the organization and management of healthcare delivery. The overloaded with critical patients hospitals were not able to admit and hospitalize all those in need, therefore the outpatients’ clinics were tasked with additional duties AI tools were widely applied into COVID-19 pandemic management – into organization of the healthcare systems, into diagnostic and testing, into infected patients’ management. The objective of this article is to present and analyze the Bulgarian pre-hospital healthcare providers’ perception about the capacities and capabilities of the AI and contemporary information-communication technologies (ICT) in medical practice – medical triage and patients monitoring. Results from survey among 57 Bulgarian pre-hospital healthcare providers regarding the artificial intelligence and information communication technologies implementation into their practice are presented and analyzed. Conclusion about the need of more focused information campaigns related to the possibilities for wider use of the artificial intelligence capabilities is noted.