Latest news with #AcademyofSilesia
The Star
2 days ago
- Health
- The Star
AI-dependent doctors risk failing to detect colon cancer
Doctors who lean on "routine assistance" from artificial intelligence to carry out colonoscopies are at risk of losing the life-saving skills they have developed over years of on-the-job training. — Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa BERLIN: Doctors and other medical professionals who lean on "routine assistance" from artificial intelligence (AI) to carry out colonoscopies are at risk of losing the life-saving skills they have developed over years of on-the-job training. A study taking in over 1,400 colonoscopies at four Polish hospitals found a 20% decrease in the ability of "experienced health professionals" to detect precancerous colon growths following the introduction of AI to the process. "Continuous exposure to AI in colonoscopy" might reduce the effectiveness of "standard, non-AI assisted colonoscopy," the researchers warned. "Our results are concerning given the adoption of AI in medicine is rapidly spreading," says Marcin Romanczyk of the Academy of Silesia. "These findings temper the current enthusiasm for rapid adoption of AI-based technologies... and highlight the importance of carefully considering possible unintended clinical consequences," says Omer Ahmad of University College London, who was not involved in the study. Featured in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, a medical journal, the paper is the first "to suggest the implementation of AI could lead to a reduction in the ability of medical professionals and impact health outcomes which are important to patients," according to the publisher. The findings follow the publication of "several studies" that have suggested AI could help doctors identify cancers, according to The Lancet. "We urgently need more research into the impact of AI on health professional's skills across different medical fields," says Romanczyk. In their paper, Romanczyk and colleagues called for more "behavioural research" to look into "the currently under-investigated mechanisms of how AI affects physician capability." – dpa
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Health professionals' skills to detect benign tumours drop after using AI for 3 months, study finds
New Delhi: Frequent reliance on artificial intelligence may lead to the risk of losing skills, as indicated by a study that discovered a 20 per cent decrease in the ability of experienced health professionals to detect benign tumour growths in colonoscopies when not using AI. Researchers from Poland, Norway, Sweden, and other European nations examined more than 1,400 colonoscopies - approximately 800 were conducted without AI assistance, while 650 utilised AI during the procedure. A colonoscopy is used to inspect the large intestine, encompassing the colon and rectum, for disease. The study compared colonoscopies performed three months prior to and following the integration of AI. Three months after becoming reliant on AI for support, the detection rate of adenomas -- a non-cancerous tumour -- during standard colonoscopy decreased significantly from 28.4 per cent before to 22.4 per cent after exposure to AI, the authors stated in their study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal. While studies have shown that using AI can help doctors and clinicians in improving cancer detection, the study is the first to "suggest a negative impact of regular AI use on healthcare professionals' ability to complete a patient-relevant task in medicine of any kind," author Marcin Romanczyk, Academy of Silesia in Poland, said. "Our results are concerning, given that the adoption of AI in medicine is rapidly spreading. We urgently need more research into the impact of AI on health professionals' skills across different medical fields," Romanczyk said. Author Yuichi Mori from the University of Oslo, Norway, said the results posed "an interesting question" related to previous trials, which found that an AI-assisted colonoscopy allowed for a higher tumour detection, compared to one that did not use AI's help. "It could be the case that non-AI-assisted colonoscopy assessed in these trials is different from standard non-AI-assisted colonoscopy as the endoscopists in the trials may have been negatively affected by continuous AI exposure," Mori said. The authors emphasised the necessity for additional research to comprehend the dynamics involved when healthcare professionals and AI systems are not effectively synchronised. In a commentary article related to the research, Dr Omer Ahmad from University College London, who was not involved in the study, said the findings "temper the current enthusiasm for (a) rapid adoption of AI-based technologies." The results provide the "first real-world clinical evidence for the phenomenon of deskilling, potentially affecting patient-related outcomes" and "highlight the importance of carefully considering possible unintended clinical consequences," Dr Ahmad said. "Although AI continues to offer great promise to enhance clinical outcomes, we must also safeguard against the quiet erosion of fundamental skills required for high-quality endoscopy," the author added.>
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Health professionals' skills to detect benign tumours drop after using AI for 3 months, study finds
Frequent reliance on artificial intelligence may lead to the risk of losing skills, as indicated by a study that discovered a 20% decrease in the ability of experienced health professionals to detect benign tumour growths in colonoscopies when not using AI. Researchers from Poland, Norway, Sweden, and other European nations examined more than 1,400 colonoscopies — approximately 800 were conducted without AI assistance, while 650 utilised AI during the procedure. A colonoscopy is used to inspect the large intestine, encompassing the colon and rectum, for disease. The study compared colonoscopies performed three months prior to and following the integration of AI. Three months after becoming reliant on AI for support, the detection rate of adenomas -- a non-cancerous tumour -- during standard colonoscopy decreased significantly from 28.4 per cent before to 22.4 per cent after exposure to AI, the authors stated in their study published in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology journal. While studies have shown that using AI can help doctors and clinicians in improving cancer detection, the study is the first to "suggest a negative impact of regular AI use on healthcare professionals' ability to complete a patient-relevant task in medicine of any kind," author Marcin Romanczyk, Academy of Silesia in Poland, said. "Our results are concerning, given that the adoption of AI in medicine is rapidly spreading. We urgently need more research into the impact of AI on health professionals' skills across different medical fields," Romanczyk said. Author Yuichi Mori from the University of Oslo, Norway, said the results posed "an interesting question" related to previous trials, which found that an AI-assisted colonoscopy allowed for a higher tumour detection, compared to one that did not use AI's help. "It could be the case that non-AI-assisted colonoscopy assessed in these trials is different from standard non-AI-assisted colonoscopy as the endoscopists in the trials may have been negatively affected by continuous AI exposure," Mori said. The authors emphasised the necessity for additional research to comprehend the dynamics involved when healthcare professionals and AI systems are not effectively synchronised. In a commentary article related to the research, Dr Omer Ahmad from University College London, who was not involved in the study, said the findings "temper the current enthusiasm for (a) rapid adoption of AI-based technologies." The results provide the "first real-world clinical evidence for the phenomenon of deskilling, potentially affecting patient-related outcomes" and "highlight the importance of carefully considering possible unintended clinical consequences," Dr Ahmad said. "Although AI continues to offer great promise to enhance clinical outcomes, we must also safeguard against the quiet erosion of fundamental skills required for high-quality endoscopy," the author added.
