A recent survey
highlighted the growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) among
emergency medicine (EM) physicians and the need for more structured support to
integrate these tools into clinical practice. While AI has the potential to
enhance efficiency and patient care, concerns regarding data privacy, bias, and
job displacement must be addressed.
The survey
highlighted that national organisations, such as the American College of
Emergency Physicians (ACEP), may play a pivotal role in providing resources,
education, and advocacy to ensure that AI is ethically and effectively
incorporated into EM.
This survey study was published in
December 2025 in the journal JACEP OPEN
Effectively Integrating Artificial
Intelligence (AI) in Emergency Medicine Care
Artificial
intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact diagnostic accuracy and clinical
decision-making across medical specialities. The authors highlighted that AI
applications, from imaging interpretation to predictive analytics and clinical
decision support, are expected to address challenges in healthcare delivery. In
emergency medicine (EM), machine learning algorithms have been studied to
assist in diagnostics and treatment planning. AI tools may play a crucial role
in improving patient care.
Study Overview
A cross-sectional
survey was conducted to assess AI tool use by emergency physicians (EPs) in
clinical practice, both within and outside institutions, to capture attitudes
towards AI in clinical care, and to identify areas that require expanded
resources and training. The survey was emailed to all ACEP members and promoted
at the 2024 ACEP Scientific Assembly in Las Vegas, which was attended by
approximately 6000 EPs. Non-EP attendees could complete the survey, but only EP
responses were analyzed. The survey instrument included 32 questions designed
to capture information on demographics, clinical use of AI tools, and attitudes
towards AI adoption in EM.
Key
findings
A total of 658 ACEP physicians
responded to the survey.
Among
them, 61% reported using at least some AI tools in their clinical practice. Of
these, 31% used tools that were not integrated into their institutions, such as
independent electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation (41%) and ChatGPT (63%). Additionally,
52% of respondents worked in health systems with AI integration. Usage
details showed that 22% used AI for clinical decision support, 14% for
radiological interpretation, and 18% for ambient documentation.
Attitude
towards AI: Table
1 presents the attitude of EM physicians toward AI use
Table
1 Emergency Medicine (EM) Physician Attitudes Toward AI (Key Findings)
Parameter
Agreement/Concern
Percentage
(%)
AI
will improve clinical efficiency in EM
Agree
75%
AI
will enhance ED patient care quality
Agree
57%
AI
may reduce EM physician jobs
Concerned
12%
Bias
in AI systems
Concerned
38%
Abbreviations:
AI-Artificial Intelligence, EM-emergency medicine, ED-Emergency department,
Potential Learnings for
Stakeholders
Most EM physicians are cautiously
adopting AI tools and generally have a positive outlook on how AI can enhance
efficiency and quality of care. While most EM physicians expect AI to boost
efficiency and improve patient care, concerns remain regarding job
displacement, data privacy, and algorithmic bias. Inconsistent institutional
policies and limited training may be likely contributors to the varied use of
AI tools in emergency settings.
Reference: Shy BD, Baloescu C, Faustino IV,
et al. Early Insights Among Emergency Medicine Physicians on Artificial
Intelligence: A National, Convenience-sample Survey of the American College of
Emergency Physicians. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open.
2025;7(1):100308. Published 2025 Dec 26. doi:10.1016/j.acepjo.2025.100308