Physician awareness of, interest in, and current use of artificial intelligence large language model-based virtual assistants

Abstract

There is increasing medical interest and research regarding the potential of large language model-based virtual assistants in healthcare. It is important to understand physicians' interest in implementing these tools into clinical practice, so preceding education could be implemented to ensure appropriate and ethical use. We aimed to assess physician 1) awareness of, 2) interest in, and 3) current use of large language model-based virtual assistants for clinical practice and professional development and determine the specific applications of interest and use. Additionally, we wanted to determine associations with age, gender, and role. We conducted a cross-sectional study between 11/08-12/2023 via an anonymous web-based survey that was disseminated among physicians at a large NY healthcare network using snowball sampling. Descriptive and basic inferential statistics were performed. There were 562 respondents, largely males (55.7%), attending physicians (68.5%), and from nonsurgical specialties (67.4%). Most were aware of large language model chatbots (89.7%) and expressed interest (97.2%). Only a minority incorporated it into their practice (21%). Highest levels of interest were for journal review, patient education, and documentation/dictation (88.1-89.5%). The most frequently employed uses were medical information and education and study/research design. Females showed higher interest than males (99.2% vs. 95.5%, p = 0.011). Attendings were more aware of large language models (92.2% vs. 84.2%, p = 0.004), while trainees had increased rates of use (28.8% vs. 17.4%, p = 0.002). Use varied across age brackets, highest among 20-30 year olds (29.1% vs. 13.5%-23.4%, p = 0.018), except for documentation/dictation, where highest use was among the 41-50 year old group (10.5% vs. 2.6%-8.7%, p = 0.047). We concluded that physicians are interested in large language model-based virtual assistants, a minority are implementing it into their practice, and gender-, role-, and age-based disparities exist. As physicians continue to integrate large language models into their patient care and professional development, there is opportunity for research, education, and guidance to ensure an inclusive, responsible, and safe adoption.

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