Patients and staff identify opportunities for artificial intelligence to improve primary care eVisits

Seven opportunities for artificial intelligence in primary care electronic visits: qualitative study of staff and patient views

2025-05-27

(Press-News.org) Background and Goal: While remote or electronic visits (eVisits) can increase access to health care for certain groups of patients, their use can increase staff workload and patient demand. Artificial intelligence (AI) may mitigate these outcomes. This study explored the views of staff and patients in primary care to inform the development of artificial intelligence (AI) features for eVisits.

Study Approach: Researchers conducted interviews and focus groups with 16 primary care staff and 37 patients from 14 primary care practices in northwest England and London. Researchers asked interviewees about their views on the potential uses of AI during eVisits, risks, benefits, and challenges to its adoption into clinical practice. Transcripts were thematically analyzed to identify key themes.

Main Results:

Initial misconceptions and reservations: both groups were unsure what AI could or could not do. Patients worried that AI might diagnose or prescribe without input from their physician, and staff questioned safety.

Perceived benefits included faster responses for patients and lighter workload for staff if AI handled routine tasks. Perceived risks included depersonalized care, data‑privacy fears, and the possibility that patients would have to enter symptoms perfectly for AI triage to work safely.

Seven specific opportunities for AI during eVisits were identified and generally welcomed if they complemented (not replaced) clinician judgment:

Workflow routing – AI could direct each request to the appropriate team member quickly.

Directing – AI could reroute emergencies to emergency services and send non-urgent issues to pharmacies.

Prioritization – Urgent requests could be flagged so clinicians see them first.

Follow-up questions – AI could automatically request photos, questionnaires, or clarification after a submission.

Writing assistance – AI could suggest editable response templates for common concerns like mental health.

Self-help information – Trusted educational links could be sent to patients without clinician effort.

Face-to-face booking – AI could automatically schedule in-person visits when a physical exam is needed.

Why It Matters: The results of this study may serve as guidance for developing and testing AI tools in primary care settings.

Seven Opportunities for Artificial Intelligence in Primary Care Electronic Visits: Qualitative Study of Staff and Patient Views

Susan Moschogianis, PhD, et al

School of Health Sciences, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

PRE-EMBARGO LINK

PERMANENT LINK

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study examines authorship inequities in global health research published in family medicine journals in high-income countries

2025-05-27

Background and Goal: This study examined authorship inequities for research that was conducted in low- and middle-income countries and published in family medicine journals based in high-income countries. Study Approach: Researchers analyzed journals listed on the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) Global family doctor website that focused on low-income countries, lower-middle-income countries, and upper-middle-income countries. They selected journals with editorial offices in high-income-countries. Inclusion criteria included research conducted ...

Tip Sheet Summaries May/June 2025

2025-05-27

Editorial To Improve Screenings With Technology, Focus on People First Background: This issue of Annals of Family Medicine includes four original studies that illustrate valuable concepts to consider when incorporating technology in screening to improve early detection and management of disease. Editorial Stance: These studies highlight the importance of centering any digital health intervention on the patient’s specific clinical needs. The authors emphasize that digital tools work best when they work with, rather than replace, clinicians. Additionally, the authors stress that we must ...

Fewer Ontario family physicians provide comprehensive care

2025-05-27

Background and Goal: This study examined long‑term shifts toward focused practice among family physicians in Ontario, Canada, as well as changes in the number of comprehensive family physicians relative to population growth. Study Approach: Researchers linked multiple Ontario health‑administrative data sets to track practice patterns for every general practitioner or family physician from fiscal years 1993/94 through 2021/22. Analyses were stratified by physician sex and years in practice. Main Results: The proportion of family physicians working in focused roles rose to 19.2% ...

Little free library use may improve rural mental health access

2025-05-27

Mental‑health disorders and suicide rates have risen steadily over the past 20 years, with rural areas seeing the sharpest increases. To broaden access to mental‑health resources for adults, physicians placed a little free library containing 10–15 books on anxiety, depression, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and related conditions near the entrance of a rural primary care clinic in Minnesota. A flyer with a QR code directs visitors to a community‑run webpage with additional resources. Patients who take a book are asked to complete a short survey capturing demographics, referral ...

Perfumes and lotions disrupt how body protects itself from indoor air pollutants

2025-05-27

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Fragrances and lotions don't just change the way people smell, they actively alter the indoor air chemistry around the wearer, disrupting a critical natural process the body uses to protect itself from pollution, according to an international research team that includes scientists from Penn State. The new study, published in the journal Science Advances, revealed that personal care products like perfumes and even unscented lotions alter the chemical composition of the “human oxidation field,” a natural protective air shield around a person’s breathing zone ...

Overlooked cells might explain the human brain’s huge storage capacity

2025-05-27

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- The human brain contains about 86 billion neurons. These cells fire electrical signals that help the brain store memories and send information and commands throughout the brain and the nervous system. The brain also contains billions of astrocytes — star-shaped cells with many long extensions that allow them to interact with millions of neurons. Although they have long been thought to be mainly supportive cells, recent studies have suggested that astrocytes may play a role in memory storage ...

Employees assigned more complex projects early in their work history had better outcomes later in their careers

2025-05-27

Employees’ early work experiences in an organization can significantly affect their socialization. Much of the research on this topic has documented how certain organization-wide practices succeed or fail in making newcomers so-called good citizens, but little is known about how different early experiences lead to varied socialization outcomes. In a new study, researchers examined the impact of early project team assignments on newcomers’ career kickoffs. They found that those assigned to more complex projects during this phase had better outcomes later in their careers. The study, ...

Pioneering ADHD researcher reveals biological pathways linking genes to behavior

2025-05-27

NIJMEGEN, The Netherlands, 27 May 2025 – In a comprehensive Genomic Press interview published today, Professor Barbara Franke unveils her remarkable scientific journey from an inquisitive child fascinated by nature to becoming one of the world's most influential researchers in biological psychiatry. The molecular psychiatrist at Radboud University has fundamentally transformed our understanding of how genetic variations lead to altered behavior in neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly ...

Mitochondrial DNA mutation accumulation may not be a determining factor in aging

2025-05-27

Tsukuba, Japan—The human genome is broadly classified into the genome residing in the cell nucleus (nuclear DNA) and the genome residing in the mitochondria (mitochondrial DNA: mtDNA). Mitochondria are cell organelles that produce energy essential for life activities through oxidative phosphorylation (mitochondrial respiration), and mtDNA encodes a set of genes required for mitochondrial respiration. Previous research has led to the widely accepted hypothesis that the accumulation of multiple mutations in mtDNA with aging induces a decline in mitochondrial respiratory function, resulting in the "mitochondrial theory of aging." Nevertheless, whether the decrease in mitochondrial ...

Researchers unveil epigenetic mechanism of cold adaptation in rice

2025-05-27

Chinese researchers recently uncovered molecular evidence supporting Lamarckism—a long-debated theory from the early 19th century that acquired characteristics can be inherited. The evidence was revealed in a new study by scientists from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which deciphered the evolutionary patterns of cold adaptation during rice's northward expansion. The study was published on May 22 in Cell. Led by Prof. CAO Xiaofeng, the researchers demonstrated that DNA methylation—a form of epigenetic variation ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Borders and beyond: Excavating life on the medieval Mongolian frontier

Horses ‘mane’ inspiration for new generation of social robots

Too much of a good thing: Consequences of overplanting Bt corn in the US

Kinetic coupling – breakthrough in understanding biochemical networks

Rice researchers lay groundwork for designer hybrid 2D materials

Lack of gender lens in tobacco control research could stymie efforts to help smokers quit, York University researchers say

Diagnosing Parkinson’s using a blood-based genetic signature

IBD on the rise: International research highlights spread in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

After mild stroke, more sleep or time spent trying to sleep tied to thinking problems

Huge sea-urchin populations are overwhelming Hawaii’s coral reefs

Adolescents in India whose mothers experience domestic violence face significantly increased risk of anxiety and depression

We might become less sociable as we age as brain scans of adults across the lifespan show disruption of brain connectivity, suggesting impairments in our ability to form and maintain relationships

Llamas may have been domesticated in the semi-arid North of Chile prior to the Incas, according to multi-proxy analysis of early camelid remains

How do we transform global health?

Refugees in Sweden who lived in institutional housing during the asylum process are prescribed more anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication and visit hospital more than those who lived in self-org