How are allergists using artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications and tools are seemingly everywhere! How are allergists using AI, and what are their concerns? To get answers, the Telehealth and Technology Task Force recently surveyed members during an AI webinar and a session on AI at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting. While our sample size is relatively small (n=120), here are our key takeaways:

60% of respondents are using AI in some capacity (personal use, in practice or both) – 40% are not using it at all.
The most popular use of AI in practice was for drafting letters/emails (59%), followed by AI scribing (36%). Synthesizing data (20%) was third.
There were several concerns related to AI use. The biggest concerns were liability and privacy/security (both 57%), followed by the administrative burden required for implementation (41%) and regulation and oversight (39%). Bias in data was 30%.

“Generative AI continues to expand at a rapid pace and more clinicians will encounter AI in some capacity in their work life,” said Fatima Khan, MD, FACAAI, member of the Telehealth and Technology Task Force. “Privacy, reliability, and bias are all valid concerns, and work is underway to create AI best practices to improve the quality, reliability, and safety of AI in patient care. ACAAI has provided excellent programming to help members learn about AI and will continue to be a great resource,” said Dr. Khan.

Read on to learn more about the survey methodology and see the results for each of our three questions.

Survey Methodology

During the Artificial Intelligence for Allergists webinar in September, we asked two polling questions related to AI use. We had 73 responses during the webinar. We built on these results by asking the same two questions plus a new third question during the AI Pro/Con Debate at the Annual Meeting in October. We had 47 responses during this session. We have combined all the survey results below.

Q1. Do you use AI in your practice or personal life? (total n=120)

	Number of responses	Percentage
I use it in my personal life.	37	31%
I use it in my practice.	7	6%
I use it in both.	28	23%
Not yet.	48	40%

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Q2. How do you use AI in your practice? Check all that apply. (total n=64)

	Number of responses	Percentage
Drafting letters/emails	39	59%
AI Scribing	23	36%
Synthesizing data	13	20%
Revenue cycle management	3	5%
Scheduling	3	5%
Other	11	17%

“Other” included:

I use it to give an outline for lectures.
Patient responses to messages, marketing, business planning.
I like to use AI to help me think outside the box. For example, I needed to draft a response to a question from a committee, and I used AI to help me brainstorm ways to answer it.
I have used AI to summarize applications prior to interviewing and for Zoom-type interviews (speech to text) so that I can review answers later. I use it to summarize journal articles when researching to write a paper or prepare a lecture. When leading a workgroup, I utilize Speech to text recognition and AI summary of the work session and next steps and assignments.
Feed in a CV and it can do a great job of drafting a recommendation letter.
Knowledge base.

(Click chart to see larger version)

Q3. What concerns do you have about using AI in your practice? Check all that apply. (n=46; responses from AI Pro/Con debate only)

	Number of responses	Percentage
Liability	26	57%
Privacy/security	26	57%
Administrative burden required to implement	19	41%
Regulation & oversight	18	39%
Bias in data	14	30%
Hallucinations	8	17%
Other	6	13%

“Other” included:

Errors. Scribe doesn’t always seem to accurately capture the discussion.
Intellectual property rights or lack thereof.
Cost for AI scribes/EHR support.
Accuracy.
Whether this will actually save me time.
None.

(Click chart to see larger version)

In summary, while AI adoption among allergists is growing, its usage varies, with tools primarily leveraged for drafting communications and scribing. However, significant concerns persist, particularly around liability, privacy, and the administrative challenges of implementation. As AI continues to evolve, addressing these concerns and providing clear guidance will be critical to help allergists embrace this technology and maximize its potential.

Are you looking for more information on AI? Check out these College resources: