The Association Between Family Physicians’ Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Levels and Medical Artificial Intelligence Readiness

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between family physicians' artificial intelligence (AI) anxiety levels and their readiness for medical AI.Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 199 family physicians working in primary healthcare.The AI anxiety scale (AIAS) and medical AI readiness scale were used as data collection tools.Results: Significant gender differences were observed in AI anxiety levels.Female physicians demonstrated significantly higher AI anxiety scores compared to male physicians across all dimensions of the AIAS (p<0.001 for the total score, p<0.001 for learning, p=0.001 for job replacement, p=0.024 for socio-technical blindness, and p=0.004 for AI configuration).Physicians with an educational background in information and communication technology (ICT) showed significantly lower AI anxiety levels (57.84±27.11vs. 74.17±28.20,p=0.007) and higher medical AI readiness scores (76.04±18.19 vs. 64.50±16.27,p=0.001) compared to those without such background.Similarly, physicians with higher interest levels in ICT and AI demonstrated progressively lower anxiety levels and higher readiness scores (p<0.05 for all comparisons).Conclusion: Family physicians with lower learning and AI configuration anxiety showed greater readiness for medical AI.Female physicians experienced higher anxiety levels across all areas, while those with technology backgrounds were more prepared for AI integration.These findings suggest that targeted education programs and gender-sensitive training approaches are essential for successful AI adoption in primary care.