The effect of artificial intelligence anxiety on medical artificial intelligence readiness: The case of health professionals

Objective: With the developing technology, the importance of artificial intelligence in healthcare services is increasing day by day, which makes it necessary to understand how healthcare professionals approach this change. In this context, the aim of this thesis is to examine the effect of healthcare professionals' concerns about artificial intelligence on their medical artificial intelligence readiness levels. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional thesis study was conducted with the data obtained from 444 physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals working in the public and private healthcare sector in Turkey by online survey method. The questionnaire consists of socio-demographic information, Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale and Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness Scale. Frequency, percentage values, independent sample t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were reported with Jamovi 2.4 version.. Findings: Research findings confirmed that medical AI readiness scores differed according to some demographic variables. A statistically significant inverse relationship was found between AI anxiety and medical AI. According to the multiple linear regression model established on this relationship, artificial intelligence anxiety had a statistically significant negative effect on medical artificial intelligence readiness. Conclusion: In the light of the findings, it is recommended that artificial intelligence trainings for healthcare professionals should be increased and awareness raising activities should be expanded. At the same time, awareness-raising studies should be carried out on the contributions of artificial intelligence to healthcare services, and healthcare professionals should be provided with opportunities to experience the technology in practice through practical trainings. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, anxiety, medical artificial intelligence, health technologies, readiness, readiness, health services