Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence Integration: A Case Study of Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated professional healthcare workers' perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration in healthcare services within Lagos State, Nigeria. Guided by two research questions, the study employed a descriptive survey design. A sample of 45 professional health workers was selected using a stratified sampling technique. Data were collected via a self-designed instrument, the 'Perception of Professional on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration on Healthcare Services Questionnaire (PPAIIHSQ),' which demonstrated high reliability (coefficient of 0.98). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that professionals perceived significant benefits of AI integration, including enhanced diagnosing and treatment planning, predictive analytics, accelerated drug discovery and development, the utility of virtual assistants and chatbots, and improved medical record keeping. However, the study also identified several critical challenges hindering effective AI integration. These include the absence of standard guidelines, concerns regarding data privacy and security, the risk of data breaches, issues of bias and fairness in training data, potential for misdiagnosis, and the poor state of health infrastructure development. Based on these findings, the study recommends that government and healthcare stakeholders collaborate to improve health infrastructure to facilitate AI adoption. Additionally, international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) are encouraged to support the Nigerian health sector by providing necessary AI resources for healthcare services across the country.