The Application of AI in Primary Care General Practitioners' Practice: a Perspective on Skin Disease Diagnosis and Disease Course Management

Background Primary care general practitioners encounter significant challenges in diagnosing and managing skin diseases, highlighting the urgent need for artificial intelligence (AI) assisted systems. Although AI has the potential to improve diagnostic and treatment efficiency, research on its application in primary care settings remains limited. Objective To investigate the effectiveness and impact of an AI-assisted system in supporting primary care general practitioners with the diagnosis and management of skin diseases. Methods From December 2022 to March 2024, 19 general practitioners from community health centers in Hangzhou were voluntarily recruited for this study. They were randomly divided into two groups: an AI group with 10 physicians and a control group with 9 physicians. During this period, these physicians treated a total of 90 patients with skin diseases: 50 in the AI group and 40 in the control group. Physicians in the AI group utilized the Ruifu AI-assisted system for diagnosing and managing