Only about 21% of healthcare leaders say they have integrated artificial intelligence into medical imaging, with expectations that number will triple in the next five years.
Research website Sermo recently polled more than 100 decision-makers across hospitals and other facilities to gauge their progress in adopting AI. Fewer than half (45%) said they are actively following trends in artificial intelligence and machine learning, while 25% said they’ve implemented this technology in their organization.
Workforce shortages are top-of-mind for healthcare executives, the survey noted. About 42% of those polled said they are experiencing “significant staffing challenges” in medical imaging, behind only lab personnel (46%), nurse practitioners/physician assistants (47%), and physicians/specialists (56%).
“We consistently hear from our physician and provider community about the negative impacts of staffing shortages,” Erin Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer at Sermo, said in a Jan. 23 announcement. “…Despite the excitement surrounding AI's potential applications in hospitals and health systems, staffing remains, and will persist as, the foremost priority.”
About 21% of those surveyed said they are currently integrating AI in medical imaging, while 62% forecasting implementation in the next five years. That’s compared to 13% who are using AI in virtual health assistance (62% in five years), 20% in predictive analytics (71%), and 23% for electronic health records management (71%).
Sermo also highlighted radiology’s continued dominance in the AI space, representing about 79% of all products authorized by the U.S. FDA, according to one recent estimate. About 38% of healthcare leaders surveyed said they have invested in radiology AI, with plans to spend more in the next two years. That’s compared to 32% who have not invested and do not plan to do so in the next few years.
This is the 32nd edition of the “Barometer” survey for New York-based Sermo, which bills itself as a “physician and provider engagement platform.” The poll was conducted between Dec. 15 and Jan. 2, reaching decision-makers at the management and executive level working at hospitals or other healthcare facilities including ambulatory surgery centers and long-term care facilities.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.