PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kirsty Morrison
TI  - Artificial intelligence and the NHS: a qualitative exploration of the factors influencing adoption
AID  - 10.7861/fhj.2020-0258
DP  - 2021 Nov 01
TA  - Future Healthcare Journal
PG  - e648--e654
VI  - 8
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/8/3/e648.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/8/3/e648.full
SO  - Future Healthc J2021 Nov 01; 8
AB  - Background AI has the potential to improve healthcare. However, there is limited research investigating the factors which influence the adoption of AI within a healthcare system.Research aims I aimed to use innovation theory to understand the barriers and facilitators that influence AI adoption in the NHS; and to explore solutions to overcome these barriers, and examine these factors, particularly within radiology, pathology and general practice.Methodology Twelve semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were conducted with key informants. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis.Findings A range of barriers and facilitators to the adoption of AI within the NHS were identified, including IT infrastructure and language clarity. Several solutions to overcome the barriers were proposed by participants, including education strategies and innovation champions.Conclusion Future research should explore the importance of IT infrastructure in supporting AI adoption, examine the terminology around AI and explore specialty-specific barriers to AI adoption in greater depth.