Survey on AI in Healthcare

In March 2023, Nikkei Research conducted a survey to investigate how AI (artificial intelligence) is being utilized in the healthcare field. The survey asked physicians about the status of the implementation of medical information systems and AI medical devices at their workplaces (i.e., medical institutions such as hospitals and clinics). The respondents were drawn from Nikkei Medical Online, a healthcare professionals' community run by Nikkei BP.

While electronic medical records were being used widely (over 95% of university hospitals and slightly under 64% of clinics), we saw a cloud shift happening. Although still, 78.5% of the total have on-premise types of electronic medical records, 12.7% said they have adopted cloud types. That is 3.8-point increase from the 8.9% result in a similar survey conducted in August 2021. Small clinics had the highest adoption rate of cloud-based electronic medical records.

When physicians were asked to write freely about what technologies they are anticipating, words such as "diagnostic imaging" and "AI" rose frequently. It showed clearly that the majority of physicians are seeking AI-based diagnostic imaging technology. In Japan, CT scans and MRIs are popular, and diagnosis using images is fairly common. Thus, there is a growing need for extremely busy physicians to have AI deliver quicker and more accurate image diagnoses, alternating specialists.

While the advent of AI is much anticipated by physicians, however, AI medical devices have not yet seen widespread on-site adoption. Nearly 80% have not even implemented "support for diagnostic imaging" or "genome treatment." One of the top reasons for preventing the implementation was a lack of confidence about the cost-effectiveness.

These results indicate that more effort must be put forth to impart a better understanding of benefits and fulfill needs in the healthcare sector.

Further details are available from the below link.
• Electronic Medical Records Going Cloud -- High Expectations for AI Diagnostic Imaging
• Anticipated AI: 80% of Medical Institutions Not Yet Adopted by Unsure Cost-effectiveness

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