The algorithmic consultant: a new era of clinical AI calls for a new workforce of physician-algorithm specialists

Abstract

As complex AI systems become more common in clinical decision-making, a new type of physician-data science specialist is needed to bridge the gap between these AI tools and practicing clinicians. Analogous to how clinical pharmacists currently guide appropriate medication use and govern a hospital's formulary, this specialist would offer point-of-care guidance on AI tool selection and interpretation, and manage a hospital's AI systems. This role aims to enable safe and effective clinical AI by collaborating with patient-facing providers to ensure appropriate model application in the real world.

Fig. 1. The dual roles of algorithmic consultants in a provider-facing role and a system-level role, and how it mirrors the dual roles of a clinical pharmacist today.

Figure 1A: The point-of-care workflow of an algorithmic consultant, which is modeled after that of an inpatient clinical pharmacist. Figure 1B: A clinical pharmacist’s organizational governance responsibilities (e.g., managing an institution’s formulary), and the parallel role of an algorithmic consultant in governing an institution’s AI models through their lifecycle. (Author’s own work.).