A survey of 1,620 parents found they were generally accepting of the use of artificial intelligence in emergency care for children with respiratory illnesses.
Of the parents in Chicago surveyed, most said they were comfortable with computer programs determining the kids' need for antibiotics (77.6 percent) or blood work, (76.5 percent) and interpreting radiographs (77.5 percent), according to the May 13 Academic Pediatrics study by researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
Black, nonHispanic parents and parents aged 18 to 25 reported being less receptive to AI.
Overall, the parents' main concerns were diagnostic errors (63 percent) and the AI recommending incorrect treatment (58.9 percent), while the perceived benefits were that the software would find something a human would miss (64.2 percent) and a more speedy diagnosis (59.6 percent).