Artificial intelligence and multidisciplinary team meetings; a communication challenge for radiologists' sense of agency and position as spider in a web?

PURPOSE: This paper focuses on how the implementation of artificial intelligence algorithms (AI) challenges and changes the existing communication practice in radiology seen from a psychological communicative and clinical radiologist's perspective. METHOD: Based on thematic literature search across radiology, management, and information system technology research of AI implementation and robotics, we applied social- and cognitive psychological concepts in order to analyse and interpret these potential communication challenges that the introduction of AI potentially imposes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found that scepticism towards AI implementation is a well-documented reaction among medical professionals in general. We related this scepticism to the AI's potential transforming effect on the practice of communication in radiology. We found that the traditional communication practice to include and collaborate with AI is insufficiently developed. We propose using the multidisciplinary team meetings as an example of that at least two psychological mechanisms in this insufficiently developed communication practice can be both crucial barriers towards and drivers of the AI implementation, these mechanisms are: (1) (loss of) sense of agency, meaning the experience of being in control in one's job, and (2) (a threatened) self-image of being the expert when interacting with AI. CONCLUSION: AI implementation potentially transforms the existing professional and social positions of radiologists and other medical professionals in general which in multidisciplinary team meetings can hinder the intended use and benefit of the technology. We therefore recommend an increased focus on psychological and leadership processes in order to avoid these consequences and call for a development of co-creating communication practices with AI.

Does collective efficacy moderate the associations between physical work load and intention to leave or sickness absence?

AIM: This paper is a report of a study, which examines the moderating effect of collective efficacy on the associations between physical workload, intention to leave and sickness absence. BACKGROUND: The positive association between physical workload and both intention to leave and sickness absence in the healthcare sector is well-established. However, knowledge is limited with respect to how social contextual factors such as collective efficacy moderate these associations. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed over a 4-month period in 2006/2007 to all employees at elderly care centres in 35 Danish municipalities who were asked to rate their groups' collective efficacy. The final sample consisted of 6929 female employees from 290 work groups. Employees were predominantly healthcare helpers and assistants, but also nurses and other healthcare professionals participated in the study. Information on collective efficacy was aggregated to work group level. RESULTS: Collective efficacy moderated the association between physical workload and intention to leave, i.e. employees with high levels of physical workload had lower intention to leave if they worked in a group with high levels of collective efficacy and higher intention to leave if they worked in a group with low levels of collective efficacy. No moderating effect of collective efficacy on the association between physical workload and sickness absence was found. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that enhancing the sense of collective efficacy might be a mean for organizations and managers to reduce intention to leave, but further research is needed.