European doctors’ recommendations for artificial intelligence to meet the needs of clinical practice

European doctors note that the uptake of AI in healthcare is currently low due to several factors, including the complex environment of the sector, the wide range of products available on the market, the majority of which are not certified by a third-party, and a lack of confidence in using AI systems based on data from unknown data sources or on data collection processes. 

CPME President Dr Christiaan Keijzer said “The main purpose for the integration of AI in healthcare should be the improvement of clinical practice, therefore technology needs to be embedded in clinical pathways. Those developing the digital tools need to learn the real needs of healthcare professionals, patients and their carers and guardians. 

“AI products should be seamlessly integrated into the healthcare information system. We must avoid situations where they function as standalone tools requiring healthcare providers to manually input the same information across different systems. This is inefficient and causes frustration and administrative burnout. 

“European doctors stress the importance of publicly coordinated efforts to establish knowledge environments of sufficient scale and clinical expertise within national settings. This coordination is crucial to support sustained AI research collaboration at both the EU and national levels.” 

CPME Vice President Prof. Dr Ray Walley said “The deployment of AI cannot mean a disinvestment in other areas of healthcare systems. Short-term needs should be exploited first. AI should be used to resolve inefficiencies in healthcare provisions, knowledge fragmentation and automatisation of time-intensive routine processes.  

He added “Doctors should be free to decide whether to use an AI system, without repercussions, bearing in mind the best interests of the patient, and to retain the right to disagree with an AI system.”