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Opportunities, challenges, and requirements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in Primary Health Care (PHC): a systematic review

Farzaneh Yousefi, Reza Dehnavieh, M. Laberge, Marie-Pierre Gagnon, M. Ghaemi, Mohsen Nadali, Najmeh Azizi

BMC Primary Care, 2025

49 participants · 48 citations

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly reshaped Primary Health Care (PHC), offering various possibilities and complexities across all functional dimensions. The objective is to review and synthesize available evidence on the opportunities, challenges, and requirements of AI implementation in PHC based on the Primary Care Evaluation Tool (PCET). We conducted a systematic review, following the Cochrane Collaboration method, to identify the latest evidence regarding AI implementation in PHC. A comprehensive search across eight databases- PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, Embase, CINAHL, IEEE, and Cochrane was conducted using MeSH terms alongside the SPIDER framework to pinpoint quantitative and qualitative literature published from 2000 to 2024. Two reviewers independently applied inclusion and exclusion criteria, guided by the SPIDER framework, to review full texts and extract data. We synthesized extracted data from the study characteristics, opportunities, challenges, and requirements, employing thematic-framework analysis, according to the PCET model. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the JBI critical appraisal tools. In this review, we included a total of 109 articles, most of which were conducted in North America (n = 49, 44%), followed by Europe (n = 36, 33%). The included studies employed a diverse range of study designs. Using the PCET model, we categorized AI-related opportunities, challenges, and requirements across four key…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 49 participants or records.

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