Patients may be receptive to skin cancer screening via artificial intelligence

Three-quarters of patients would recommend artificial intelligence as a component of clinical decision-making for skin cancer, according to a survey. "The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding throughout the field of medicine," Caroline A. Nelson, MD, of the department of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote, adding that researchers are investigating the use of AI in classifying skin lesions. "Although AI is poised to change how patients engage in health care, patient perspectives remain poorly understood." The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 48 patients in general dermatology clinics at Brigham and Women's Hospital and melanoma clinics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to determine how patients think about the risks, benefits, strengths and weakness of AI as it pertains to skin cancer screening. They also aimed to determine how patients feel about the differences between human and AI clinical decision-making.