Artificial Intelligence in Otorhinolaryngology: Comparison Between General Public and Health Professionals Perception

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a possible revolutionary tool in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to explore general public and health professionals perception of AI applications in otorhinolaryngology.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using an anonymous self-completed online questionnaire was conducted in health professionals, namely otolaryngologists, and general Portuguese population. The participants over age 18 were randomly recruited over a 8-week period beginning on May 1, 2023. The questionnaire examined aspects related to the application areas for AI: decision making, surgical procedures and monitoring of different pathologies. From the 770 answered questionnaires, 249 were excluded due to incomplete data, leaving a study population of 521.

Results: Respondents were health professionals in 46.4%, and general population in 53.6%. Majority of participants were female (60.8%) and 66.8% were between 26 and 57 years old. Women more often prefer a human to perform chronic disease monitoring (p = 0.024) or non life-threatening surgery (p = 0.003). The youngest (18-25 years old) and oldest (>67 years old) participants more often prefer humans to perform these tasks: clinical assessment of signs and symptoms (p = 0.000), treatment decision (p = 0.011) and rehabilitation plans (p = 0.009). Health professionals more often prefer humans performing treatment monitoring (p = 0.000) and life-threatening surgery (p = 0.004), comparing to the general public.

Conclusions: There are significant variations in AI perception, depending on gender, age, and health professional/general population.