Barriers and Enablers Influencing the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Clinical Practice: A Scoping Review.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is rapidly growing in clinical utility within medicine. This scoping review aims to identify and summarise existing literature on the barriers and enablers of clinical applications of artificial intelligence systems for the screening of diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: Utilising a systematic approach and the PRISMA-ScR protocol for conducting scoping reviews, searches were performed in MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, Cochrane, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus and grey literature (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet). Two reviewers independently reviewed the records. A third reviewer provided consensus. Data extraction and synthesis in narrative form ensued.

Results: A total of 3844 articles were screened, of which 18 were selected. Published between 2018 and 2023, the selected studies varied in study design and were conducted across 10 countries. Several barriers and enablers were identified and categorised into four domains: healthcare system, healthcare professional, healthcare user and information technology. Within the healthcare system, clinical efficiency was reported on most frequently. Concerning the healthcare professional, education was most frequently discussed. Within healthcare user, studies most frequently identified factors pertaining to patient outcomes, while diagnostic performance was most frequently explored under the information technology domain.

Conclusions: As evidence for the efficacy of artificial intelligence for diabetic retinopathy screening grows, barriers to and enablers for its uptake in clinical practice are paramount considerations. Translating the knowledge of systems, provider, consumer and technological factors informs clinical strategies, ultimately facilitating the sustainable and effective implementation of this novel technology for screening practices.