DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8931zcs25
title: Healthcare professionals and integration of AI

description: This study aimed to identify the key factors influencing healthcare
 professionals' (HCPs) intention to integrate artificial intelligence
 (AI) into their practice. A cross-sectional survey was administered to
 HCPs across 10 professional associations in Québec, Canada. A total of 712
 HCPs responded to our survey (response rate = 12%). Of these, 484 fully
 answered the survey questionnaire, comprising 430 (89%) AI non-users and
 54 (11%) AI users. A research model was developed based on a combination
 of widely recognized behavioral theories commonly used in the digital
 health domain. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and partial
 least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The analysis
 revealed that HCPs' beliefs about the role of AI in their job and
 profession positively influence their intention to integrate AI into their
 practice (β = 0.29, p &lt; 0.05). Trust in AI also significantly
 predicted HCPs’ intentions (β = 0.29, p &lt; 0.01). Digital literacy,
 particularly familiarity with AI, was found to be another key predictor,
 influencing both beliefs about AI (β = 0.24, p &lt; 0.001) and trust
 in AI (β = 0.29, p &lt; 0.001). However, attitudes towards AI's
 impactfulness and anxiety about AI did not significantly affect HCPs'
 intention to integrate AI. The study highlights the importance of
 enhancing digital literacy and building positive beliefs and trust in AI
 among HCPs to facilitate AI integration. Educational programs and
 initiatives aimed at increasing familiarity with AI technologies may
 promote more favorable perceptions and greater trust, thereby encouraging
 AI adoption in healthcare. Future research should explore these factors in
 different countries and among various healthcare professions to provide a
 more comprehensive understanding of AI adoption in healthcare.
description: To achieve our research objective, we solicited the participation
 of 10 professional associations in Québec, Canada, representing various
 healthcare professionals, including nurses, psychologists, social workers,
 occupational therapists, and others. Each association agreed to distribute
 the invitation letter to either all or a subgroup of their members,
 ensuring a broad and representative sample. The survey invitations were
 sent out between mid-October 2023 and early February 2024. Each
 professional association sent a reminder letter to its members to
 encourage participation three weeks after the initial invitation. There
 was no incentive for HCPs to fill out the online questionnaire and there
 were no negative consequences if they did not participate. The data were
 first analyzed through descriptive statistics, using the IBM SPSS software
 (v28). Component-based partial least squares structural equation modeling
 (PLS-SEM) was then used to test the research model (cf. Figure 1), as
 implemented in the SEMinR package (v2.3.2).
description: # Healthcare professionals and integration of AI
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8931zcs25](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8931zcs25) ## Description of the data and file structure Our study aims to answer the following research question: *What factors influence HCPs’ intention to integrate AI into their practice? *To achieve our goal, a cross-sectional online-based survey study was conducted in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. ### Files and variables #### File: Professionnels\_de\_santé\_et\_IA.sav **Description:** **Survey items (item number in data file)** **Age** (Q28) *Please specify your age range (check one)* 1= 18-29 years 2= 30-39 years 3= 40-49 years 4= 50-59 years 5= 60-69 years 6= 70+ years 9= Prefer not to respond **Gender**(Q29) *Please specify your gender (check one)* 0= Male 1= Female 9= Prefer not to respond **Profession**(Q33) *Please specify your current profession (check one)* 1= Occupational therapist 2= Nurse 3= Respiratory therapist 4= Kinesiologist 5= Nutritionist 6= Osteopath 7= Pharmacist 8= Psychologist 9= Psychotherapist 10= Physiotherapist 11= Marital and family therapist 12= Social worker 13= Other **Role of AI in job and profession** *What impact do you believe the use of AI has already had or will have on various aspects related to your profession or work? (1=Very negative impact and 5=Very positive impact)* ·         Tasks or responsibilities related to my profession (Q13_1) ·         The decisions I make (clinical judgment, diagnosis, etc.) (Q13_2) ·         Best clinical practices related to my profession (Q13_3) ·         Working conditions of the members of my profession (Q13_4) ·         Productivity of the staff in my profession (Q13_5) ·         Interest of new professionals in my profession (Q13_6) ·         Patients' trust in my work and professional judgment (Q13_7) ·        Retention rate of professionals in my profession (Q13_9) **Trust in AI** *To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? (1=Strongly disagree and 5=Strongly agree)* ·         I trust AI-based technologies (Q16_1) ·         I am not afraid of using AI-based technologies (Q16_2) ·         The opacity of some AI-based technologies does not affect my overall trust in AI (Q16_3) **Consumer digital technology literacy**(Q37) *What is your level of familiarity with consumer digital technologies (mobile applications on smartphones or tablets, applications available on personal computers)? (1=Very low and 5=Very high)* **Health information systems literacy**(Q38.0) *What is your level of familiarity with healthcare-specific applications or computer systems (e.g., electronic health record systems, clinical decision-making systems, telehealth applications, etc.)? (1=Very low and 5=Very high)* **Familiarity with AI**(Q29_1) *What is your level of familiarity with AI-based technologies in general? (check one) (1=No familiarity at all and 10=Extremely high level of familiarity)* **Perceived impactfulness of AI** *I consider the use of AI-based technologies in my clinical practice to be... (check one per line)* | Useless | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Useful | (Q15\_1) | | :--------------------- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :- | :-------------------- | :------- | | Harmful | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Beneficial | (Q15\_2) | | Irresponsible | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Responsible | (Q15\_3) | | Bad | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Good | (Q15\_4) | | Not at all stimulating | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Extremely stimulating | (Q15\_5) | | Stressful | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Reassuring | (Q15\_6) | **Anxiety towards AI** *Please answer each of the following questions (1=Yes and 0=No)* ·         Are you anxious about the new practical skills you need to learn to use AI in your work? (Q18) ·         Does the idea of being replaced by AI in your work make you anxious? (Q19) ·         Does the extent of the changes caused by AI in your profession make you anxious? (Q20) ·         Do you feel anxious or stressed when the topic of AI is discussed in general? (Q21) **Intention to integrate AI into practice** *To what extent to you agree or disagree with the following statements? (1=Strongly disagree and 5=Strongly agree)* ·         I intend to participate in training sessions, conferences, or workshops in the future to familiarize myself with AI or to improve my knowledge in this area (Q26_1) ·         I am open to the idea of using AI-based technologies in my practice (Q26_2) ·         I would like to integrate AI into my future professional practice (Q26_3) ## Code/software IBM SPSS Software.