Public perceptions on the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare: a qualitative meta-synthesis

OBJECTIVES: Medical artificial intelligence (AI) has been used widely applied in clinical field due to its convenience and innovation. However, several policy and regulatory issues such as credibility, sharing of responsibility and ethics have raised concerns in the use of AI. It is therefore necessary to understand the general public’s views on medical AI. Here, a meta-synthesis was conducted to analyse and summarise the public’s understanding of the application of AI in the healthcare field, to provide recommendations for future use and management of AI in medical practice. DESIGN: This was a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. METHOD: A search was performed on the following databases to identify studies published in English and Chinese: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of science, Cochrane library, Embase, PsycINFO, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP. The search was conducted from database inception to 25 December 2021. The meta-aggregation approach of JBI was used to summarise findings from qualitative studies, focusing on the public’s perception of the application of AI in healthcare. RESULTS: Of the 5128 studies screened, 12 met the inclusion criteria, hence were incorporated into analysis. Three synthesised findings were used as the basis of our conclusions, including advantages of medical AI from the public’s perspective, ethical and legal concerns about medical AI from the public’s perspective, and public suggestions on the application of AI in medical field. CONCLUSION: Results showed that the public acknowledges the unique advantages and convenience of medical AI. Meanwhile, several concerns about the application of medical AI were observed, most of which involve ethical and legal issues. The standard application and reasonable supervision of medical AI is key to ensuring its effective utilisation. Based on the public’s perspective, this analysis provides insights and suggestions for health managers on how to implement and apply medical AI smoothly, while ensuring safety in healthcare practice. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022315033.