Artificial intelligence adoption in French cardiovascular care: a multiprofessional survey of barriers and facilitators

Abstract

Aims: Responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiology remains uneven. We aimed to map knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices among cardiovascular professionals in France and to identify levers for implementation. Methods and results: We conducted a national multiprofessional survey across cardiovascular care from 4 December 2024 to 1 March 2025. Prespecified outcomes included regular use in practice, confidence in diagnostic outputs, performance expectations, training needs, and social influence. Seven hundred fifty-six professionals completed the survey (58.2% cardiologists, 24.3% allied-health professionals, 17.8% other professionals; median age 37 years; 46.7% women). AI use was reported as regular (≥ weekly) by 23%, occasionally by 40%, and none by 37%; only 7.8% had formal AI training. Use concentrated on AI-assisted imaging (32%) and patient monitoring/management (18%). The most valued benefit was improved diagnostic accuracy (29%); leading concerns were algorithmic bias (29.9%) and data privacy (28.2%). Explainability increased confidence (among cardiologists, high confidence 64% in therapeutic contexts vs. 84% with explanations). In multivariable analyses, prior training (aOR 3.22, 95% CI 1.60-6.55), research involvement (2.94, 1.90-4.58), and male sex (1.64, 1.05-2.59) were associated with higher use, while age > 40 years was associated with lower use (0.62, 0.40-0.96). Allied-health professionals reported lower social influence and training needs. Conclusion: Adoption of AI in cardiology remains limited, and four levers emerged for responsible scale-up: Training (education), Explainability (transparent outputs), Integration (workflow embedding), and Accompaniment (peer support, evaluation). These priorities should guide education, governance, and procurement strategies.