Elsevier Health, a world leader in information and data analytics, has unveiled its Clinician of the Future 2023 report. This comprehensive report serves as a barometer for the healthcare community's views on evolving healthcare dynamics and the escalating role of generative AI products and platforms. The findings reveal that nearly half of doctors and nurses are enthusiastic about leveraging innovative technology like generative AI to augment their clinical decision-making, emphasizing the growing need for a technological transformation in healthcare.
Building upon the inaugural Clinician of the Future report, released a year ago, this latest iteration amplifies the voices and perspectives of 2,607 doctors and nurses across the globe. It underscores the critical challenges confronting the healthcare workforce, originally highlighted in the previous survey, and now delves into the evolving role of generative AI technologies in global healthcare.
Participants in both Clinician of the Future reports voiced concerns over mounting resource constraints plaguing healthcare systems worldwide, even as they grapple with substantial treatment backlogs. In North America and Europe, the scarcity of clinicians remains a top concern. Notably, 54% of respondents in the 2023 report still identify nurse shortages as a pressing health priority. Remarkably, 45% also indicated the urgency of addressing doctor shortages. These figures underscore the imperative for innovative solutions, such as generative AI, to alleviate clinician shortages while identifying avenues for operational efficiencies and training to enhance clinical preparedness and provide essential support.
The Clinician of the Future 2023 report also uncovers critical insights into clinician attitudes regarding technology as a facilitator to deliver efficient patient care and better prepare future healthcare professionals. Physicians increasingly perceive themselves as needing expertise in digital health technologies, with 73% of clinicians concurring that this skill will be indispensable within the next 2-3 years. While only 11% of current clinical decisions receive assistance from generative AI tools, 48% of respondents anticipate that physicians will rely on generative AI tools for clinical decision-making in 2-3 years.
China emerges as particularly optimistic about generative AI adoption, with 53% of clinicians expressing a desire for physicians to use generative AI technologies in the next 2-3 years, compared to 42% in the US and 34% in the UK. The report suggests that clinicians anticipate fewer in-person interactions by 2028, with 55% favoring telehealth as the primary method for routine check-ups in 2-3 years. More than half (51%) of clinicians welcome the prospect of medical students using generative AI-powered tools as part of their medical education in the next 2-3 years.
However, clinicians from the UK and the US express more reservation about generative AI technologies supporting medical students, with only 33% in the UK and 40% in the US finding this desirable.
As global healthcare systems pivot towards a digital-first approach, the Clinician of the Future 2023 report underscores that the workforce recognizes the potential of emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to drive innovation and enhance patient care.
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