Home – About us – South Tees Research, Innovation and Education (STRIVE) – STRIVE Research – Academic Centre for Surgery (ACeS) – World leading research – Current research projects – AIMS

AIMS

Patients and clinicians experience artificial intelligence (AI) in NHS Radiology Departments in different ways. Understanding both perspectives is key to safe and responsible use.

Full title

Artificial Intelligence in Medical Scan (AIMS)

Background

The demand for medical imaging in the NHS continues to grow at a rate that far outpaces other areas in healthcare. This increasing need is compounded by chronic workforce shortages in radiology departments.

To address this, policymakers, researchers, health professionals and data scientists are turning to technological innovation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to aid capacity, enhance efficiency and maximise reporting throughput in overburdened radiology departments. Several AI systems are already in use in radiology departments in the NHS.

Despite AI systems being increasingly considered and adopted within radiology departments, public awareness of AI use in radiology is limited and little is known about how health professionals interact with these tools during routine reporting. 

A survey by the Royal College of Radiologists in 2024 showed less than 50% of the public perceptions were aware that AI was being used in the NHS. Nevertheless, most respondents trusted their NHS doctor and hospital to use AI in healthcare delivery. There remains an important gap in understanding patients’ expectations about use of AI specifically within imaging services and preferences concerning transparency in AI systems in imaging.    

Additionally, there is little understanding of how AI influences human decision-making, how disagreements between the AI and healthcare professionals are managed and resolved, and what governance structures are in place to manage errors in AI-assisted reporting.

What we are doing

IMPACT-AI – Investigating Members of the Public Awareness, Confidence and Trust in AI for medical imaging

The IMPACT-AI survey is aimed at the general public in the UK, aiming to explore public understanding, trust, and preferences related to the use of AI in medical imaging. The survey will:

  • explore public trust and expectations concerning AI in medical imaging,
  • understand preferences for transparency and communication,
  • generate evidence that can inform patient-centred integration of AI in NHS imaging pathways. 

INTERACT – INvestigating inTERactions between AI and Clinicians in Tech-supported reporting of imaging

The INTERACT survey is aimed at healthcare professionals involved in imaging reporting, aiming to understand how they interact with AI tools during image interpretation and reporting. The survey will:

  • determine the extent of AI systems currently being used in medical imaging reporting in the UK,
  • explain how professionals interact with AI during image interpretation,
  • explore how final decisions are reached when human and AI interpretations diverge,
  • identify existing governance frameworks for addressing errors in AI assisted reporting,
  • highlight areas needing research for development of safe and effective deployment of AI in radiology.

Chief Investigator

Dr Maya Jafari

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Funder

Our Hospitals Charity

Current status

Ongoing

Related pages