# Valuable insights into general practice staff's experiences and perspectives on AI-assisted diabetic retinopathy screening—An interview study

## TL;DR

This study examines how general practice staff in Denmark experienced using AI to screen for diabetic retinopathy and what they think about its future use.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into practical and systemic factors affecting AI-assisted diabetic retinopathy screening in general practice.

## Key findings

- General practice staff see potential for integrating AI-assisted DRS into their workflows.
- Successful implementation requires addressing practical and systemic challenges.
- Staff emphasized the importance of trust and approval in AI-assisted screening.

## Abstract

This study explores the hands-on experiences and perspectives of general practice staff regarding the feasibility of conducting artificial intelligence-assisted (AI-assisted) diabetic retinopathy screenings (DRS) in general practice settings.

The screenings were tested in 12 general practices in the North Denmark Region and were conducted as part of daily care routines over ~4 weeks. Subsequently, 21 staff members involved in the DRS were interviewed.

Thematic analysis generated four main themes: (1) Experiences with DRS in daily practice, (2) Effective DRS implementation in general practice in the future, (3) Trust and approval of AI-assisted DRS in general practice, and (4) Implications of DRS in general practice. The findings suggest that general practice staff recognise the potential for AI-assisted DRS to be integrated into their clinical workflows. However, they also emphasise the importance of addressing both practical and systemic factors to ensure successful implementation of DRS within the general practice setting.

Focusing on the practical experiences and perspectives of general practice staff, this study lays the groundwork for future research aimed at optimising the implementation of AI-assisted DRS in general practice settings, while recognising that the insights gained may also inform broader primary care contexts.