Patients' Attitudes Toward the Use of Artificial Intelligence as a Diagnostic Tool in Radiology in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is widely used in various medical fields, including diagnostic radiology as a tool for greater efficiency, precision, and accuracy. The integration of AI as a radiological diagnostic tool has the potential to mitigate delays in diagnosis, which could, in turn, impact patients' prognosis and treatment outcomes. The literature shows conflicting results regarding patients' attitudes to AI as a diagnostic tool. To the best of our knowledge, no similar study has been conducted in Saudi Arabia.

Objective: The objectives of this study are to examine patients' attitudes toward the use of AI as a tool in diagnostic radiology at King Khalid University Hospital, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, we sought to explore potential associations between patients' attitudes and various sociodemographic factors.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected from patients scheduled for radiological imaging through a validated self-administered questionnaire. The main outcome was to measure patients' attitudes to the use of AI in radiology by calculating mean scores of 5 factors, distrust and accountability (factor 1), procedural knowledge (factor 2), personal interaction and communication (factor 3), efficiency (factor 4), and methods of providing information to patients (factor 5). Data were analyzed using the student t test, one-way analysis of variance followed by post hoc and multivariable analysis.

Results: A total of 382 participants (n=273, 71.5% women and n=109, 28.5% men) completed the surveys and were included in the analysis. The mean age of the respondents was 39.51 (SD 13.26) years. Participants favored physicians over AI for procedural knowledge, personal interaction, and being informed. However, the participants demonstrated a neutral attitude for distrust and accountability and for efficiency. Marital status was found to be associated with distrust and accountability, procedural knowledge, and personal interaction. Associations were also found between self-reported health status and being informed and between the field of specialization and distrust and accountability.

Conclusions: Patients were keen to understand the work of AI in radiology but favored personal interaction with a radiologist. Patients were impartial toward AI replacing radiologists and the efficiency of AI, which should be a consideration in future policy development and integration. Future research involving multicenter studies in different regions of Saudi Arabia is required.