Radiology workflow assistance with artificial intelligence: establishing the link to outcomes.
Authors
Affiliations (3)
Affiliations (3)
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY.
- Department of Radiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY.
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY.
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) applications for radiology workflow have the potential to improve patient and health-system-level outcomes through more efficient and accurate diagnosis and clinical decision making. For a variety of time-intensive steps, numerous types of applications are now available with variable reported measures and degrees of success. The tools we highlight aim to accelerate imaging acquisition, reduce cognitive and manual burden on radiologists and others involved in the care pathway, improve diagnostic accuracy, and shorten the time to clinical action based on imaging results. Most existing studies have focused on intermediate outcomes, such as task duration or time to the next step in care. In this article, we present an examination of AI applications across the medical imaging exam workflow, review examples of real-world evidence on these tools, and summarize the relevant performance metrics by application type. Beyond the more immediately acquired measures, to demonstrate benefit to patient health and economic outcomes, a more integrated assessment is necessary, and in an iterative fashion. To evolve beyond early workflow gains, interoperable tools must be tied to measurable downstream impacts, such as reduced disease severity, lower mortality, and shorter hospital stays, while we acknowledge that current empirical evaluations are limited.