Awareness of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging Among Radiologists and Radiologic Technologists.

Background: Current technological developments in medical imaging are primarily focused on increasing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into all medical imaging modalities. They are already considered capable of handling tasks such as image reconstruction, processing (denoising, segmentation), analysis, and predictive modeling. The purpose of this study is to assess the awareness (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) of radiologists and radiologic technologists regarding AI in medical imaging.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, qualitative study focuses on radiologists and radiologic technologists in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. A self-administered questionnaire based on published studies was used to collect primary data. Version 25.0 of IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for the statistical analysis. The demographics were summarized as frequency and percentage. Independent samples t-tests and ANOVA tests were used to evaluate and compare the degree of AI awareness among the study groups.
Results: A total of 210 individuals completed the survey. According to demographic information, there were 134 (63.8%) radiologic technologists and 76 radiologists (36.2%). Of the participants, 131 (62%) were male, while 79 (37.6%) were female. A total of 130 (61.9%) of the targeted respondents had a positive attitude, 105 (50%) had appropriate practice, and 122 (58.1%) of them were informed (knowledgeable) about AI in medical imaging. There was a significant difference in knowledge awareness between radiologists and radiologic technologists (p-value: <0.05). Radiologists were more knowledgeable than radiologic technologists, and females were more knowledgeable than males (p-value: 0.049). For attitude awareness, there were no significant differences regarding specialization, gender, age, academic qualification, and experience (p-value > 0.05). Regarding practice awareness, it turned out that females are more knowledgeable than males (p-value: 0.007). Additionally, it was discovered that significant differences indicated that bachelor's degree holders have a higher level of practice awareness than diploma holders (p-value: <0.05).
Conclusion: Significant differences between the respondent's knowledge awareness regarding specialization, gender, and experience are linked with relatively sufficient AI-basic knowledge and positive attitude awareness among radiologists and radiologic technologists. Only half of the study participants had appropriate practical awareness; therefore, additional training could enhance practical awareness.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright © 2023, Alsultan et al.)