The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has emerged as a promising solution to enhance healthcare efficiency and improve patient outcomes. The objective of this study is to analyse the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of healthcare professionals in Pakistan about AI in healthcare.   We conducted a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. This was distributed to healthcare professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, medical students, and allied healthcare workers) working or studying in Pakistan. The questions were related to participant demographics, basic understanding of AI, AI in education and practice, AI applications in healthcare systems, AI’s impact on healthcare professions and the socio-ethical consequences of the use of AI. We analyzed the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software, version 26.0.   Overall, 616 individuals responded to the survey while n=610 (99.0%) of respondents consented to participate. The mean age of participants was 32.2 . Most of the participants (78.7%, n=480) had never received any formal sessions or training in AI during their studies/employment. A majority of participants, 70.3% (n=429), believed that AI would raise more ethical challenges in healthcare. In all, 66.4% (n=405) of participants believed that AI should be taught at the undergraduate level. The survey suggests that there is insufficient training about AI in healthcare in Pakistan despite the interest of many in this area. Future work in developing a tailored curriculum regarding AI in healthcare will help bridge the gap between the interest in use of AI and training.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Ethical approval was taken from the Ethics Review Committee at The Aga Khan University, Karachi. All procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional committee. The first page of the questionnaire included the consent form which all respondents filled to proceed further. All the respondents provided consent after being instructed on the nature and purpose of the survey and were offered the possibility to withdraw at any time. Participants were also allowed to cancel the answers to their questions. All information is confidential and anonymous. Furthermore, all collected data was kept under lock and key and password protected. Access to the data was only given to the investigators. Data will only be stored for a total of 7 years in accordance with ERC guidelines. This study is in compliance with the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines. This study received an exemption from the Aga Khan University’s Ethics Review Committee (ERC). (2023-8447-24268).

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