Barriers and Enablers for Implementation of an Artificial Intelligence–Based Decision Support Tool to Reduce the Risk of Readmission of Patients With Heart Failure: Stakeholder Interviews

Abstract

Background

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in health care are expected to provide value for health care organizations, professionals, and patients. However, the implementation of such systems should be carefully planned and organized in order to ensure quality, safety, and acceptance. The gathered view of different stakeholders is a great source of information to understand the barriers and enablers for implementation in a specific context.

Objective

This study aimed to understand the context and stakeholder perspectives related to the future implementation of a clinical decision support system for predicting readmissions of patients with heart failure. The study was part of a larger project involving model development, interface design, and implementation planning of the system.

Methods

Interviews were held with 12 stakeholders from the regional and municipal health care organizations to gather their views on the potential effects implementation of such a decision support system could have as well as barriers and enablers for implementation. Data were analyzed based on the categories defined in the nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, sustainability (NASSS) framework.

Results

Stakeholders had in general a positive attitude and curiosity toward AI-based decision support systems, and mentioned several barriers and enablers based on the experiences of previous implementations of information technology systems. Central aspects to consider for the proposed clinical decision support system were design aspects, access to information throughout the care process, and integration into the clinical workflow. The implementation of such a system could lead to a number of effects related to both clinical outcomes as well as resource allocation, which are all important to address in the planning of implementation. Stakeholders saw, however, value in several aspects of implementing such system, emphasizing the increased quality of life for those patients who can avoid being hospitalized.

Conclusions

Several ideas were put forward on how the proposed AI system would potentially affect and provide value for patients, professionals, and the organization, and implementation aspects were important parts of that. A successful system can help clinicians to prioritize the need for different types of treatments but also be used for planning purposes within the hospital. However, the system needs not only technological and clinical precision but also a carefully planned implementation process. Such a process should take into consideration the aspects related to all the categories in the NASSS framework. This study further highlighted the importance to study stakeholder needs early in the process of development, design, and implementation of decision support systems, as the data revealed new information on the potential use of the system and the placement of the application in the care process.