Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Artificial Intelligence in Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 25311

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: digital health and artificial intelligence in medicine; cancer and disease prevention; big data science; endoscopy nursing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in healthcare settings have grown rapidly in the past few years because of the exponential increase of computational power, the reduced cost of data storage, improved algorithmic sophistication, and the increased availability of health data from electronic health records. AI technologies have changed the how healthcare can be delivered in different clinical settings, such as disease diagnosis, risk prediction, and treatment management.

This Special Issue aims to present the most up-to-date data on the development and implementation of AI technologies in different healthcare settings. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome and research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of existing AI medicine technologies;
  • Narrative reviews of existing AI medicine technologies;
  • Clinical trials to validate AI medicine technologies.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Thomas Yuen Tung Lam
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • machine learning
  • deep learning
  • big data
  • neural network model
  • natural language processing
  • chatbot
  • decision trees
  • healthcare
  • clinical trial
  • medicine

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 218 KiB  
Article
Assessing Clinicians’ Legal Concerns and the Need for a Regulatory Framework for AI in Healthcare: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Abdullah Alanazi
Healthcare 2025, 13(13), 1487; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13131487 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 318
Abstract
Background: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into healthcare systems presents new opportunities and challenges, particularly regarding legal and ethical implications. In Saudi Arabia, the lack of legal awareness could hinder safe implementation of AI tools. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods [...] Read more.
Background: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into healthcare systems presents new opportunities and challenges, particularly regarding legal and ethical implications. In Saudi Arabia, the lack of legal awareness could hinder safe implementation of AI tools. Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. In Phase One, a structured electronic survey was administered to 357 clinicians across public and private healthcare institutions in Saudi Arabia, assessing legal awareness, liability concerns, data privacy, and trust in AI. In Phase Two, a qualitative expert panel involving health law specialists, digital health advisors, and clinicians was conducted to interpret survey findings and identify key regulatory needs. Results: Only 7% of clinicians reported high familiarity with AI legal implications, and 89% had no formal legal training. Confidence in AI compliance with data laws was low (mean score: 1.40/3). Statistically significant associations were found between professional role and legal familiarity (χ2 = 18.6, p < 0.01), and between legal training and confidence in AI compliance (t ≈ 6.1, p < 0.001). Qualitative findings highlighted six core legal barriers including lack of training, unclear liability, and gaps in regulatory alignment with national laws like the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL). Conclusions: The study highlights a major gap in legal readiness among Saudi clinicians, which affects patient safety, liability, and trust in AI. Although clinicians are open to using AI, unclear regulations pose barriers to safe adoption. Experts call for national legal standards, mandatory training, and informed consent protocols. A clear legal framework and clinician education are crucial for the ethical and effective use of AI in healthcare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
11 pages, 214 KiB  
Article
AI Chatbots in Pediatric Orthopedics: How Accurate Are Their Answers to Parents’ Questions on Bowlegs and Knock Knees?
by Ahmed Hassan Kamal
Healthcare 2025, 13(11), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111271 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 398
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Large-language modules facilitate accessing health information instantaneously. However, they do not provide the same level of accuracy or detail. In pediatric orthopedics, where parents have urgent concerns regarding knee deformities (bowlegs and knock knees), the accuracy and dependability of these chatbots can [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Large-language modules facilitate accessing health information instantaneously. However, they do not provide the same level of accuracy or detail. In pediatric orthopedics, where parents have urgent concerns regarding knee deformities (bowlegs and knock knees), the accuracy and dependability of these chatbots can affect parent decisions to seek treatment. The goal of this study was to analyze how AI chatbots addressed parental concerns regarding pediatric knee deformities. Methods: A set of twenty standardized questions, consisting of ten questions each on bowlegs and knock knees, were designed through literature reviews and through analysis of parental discussion forums and expert consultations. Each of the three chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot) was asked the same set of questions. Five pediatric orthopedic surgeons were then asked to rate each response for accuracy, clarity, and comprehensiveness, along with the degree of misleading information provided, on a scale of 1–5. The reliability among raters was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), while differences among the chatbots were assessed using a Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc pairwise comparisons. Results: All three chatbots displayed a moderate-to-good score for inter-rater reliability. ChatGPT and Gemini’s scores were higher for accuracy and comprehensiveness than Copilot’s (p < 0.05). However, no notable differences were found in clarity or in the likelihood of giving incorrect answers. Overall, more detailed and precise responses were given by ChatGPT and Gemini, while, with regard to clarity, Copilot performed comparably but was less thorough. Conclusions: There were notable discrepancies in performance across the AI chatbots in providing pediatric orthopedic information, which demonstrates indications of evolving potential. In comparison to Copilot, ChatGPT and Gemini were relatively more accurate and comprehensive. These results highlight the persistent requirement for real-time supervision and stringent validation when employing chatbots in the context of pediatric healthcare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
21 pages, 1277 KiB  
Article
HeartEnsembleNet: An Innovative Hybrid Ensemble Learning Approach for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction
by Syed Ali Jafar Zaidi, Attia Ghafoor, Jun Kim, Zeeshan Abbas and Seung Won Lee
Healthcare 2025, 13(5), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13050507 - 26 Feb 2025
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1431
Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a prominent determinant of mortality, accounting for 17 million lives lost across the globe each year. This underscores its severity as a critical health issue. Extensive research has been undertaken to refine the forecasting of CVD in patients [...] Read more.
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a prominent determinant of mortality, accounting for 17 million lives lost across the globe each year. This underscores its severity as a critical health issue. Extensive research has been undertaken to refine the forecasting of CVD in patients using various supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning approaches. Methods: This study presents HeartEnsembleNet, a novel hybrid ensemble learning model that integrates multiple machine learning (ML) classifiers for CVD risk assessment. The model is evaluated against six classical ML classifiers, including support vector machine (SVM), gradient boosting (GB), decision tree (DT), logistic regression (LR), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and random forest (RF). Additionally, we compare HeartEnsembleNet with Hybrid Random Forest Linear Models (HRFLM) and ensemble techniques including stacking and voting. Results: Employing a dataset of 70,000 cardiac patients with 12 clinical attributes, our proposed model achieves a notable accuracy of 92.95% and a precision of 93.08%. Conclusions: These results highlight the effectiveness of hybrid ensemble learning in enhancing CVD risk prediction, offering a promising framework for clinical decision support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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17 pages, 1647 KiB  
Article
Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Rehabilitation: Perceptions, Knowledge, and Challenges Among Healthcare Providers
by Monira I. Aldhahi, Amal I. Alorainy, Mohamed M. Abuzaid, Awadia Gareeballah, Naifah F. Alsubaie, Anwar S. Alshamary and Zuhal Y. Hamd
Healthcare 2025, 13(4), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13040350 - 7 Feb 2025
Viewed by 2846
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The current literature reveals a gap in understanding how rehabilitation professionals, such as physical and occupational therapists, perceive and prepare to implement artificial intelligence (AI) in their practices. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study to assess the perceptions, knowledge, and willingness [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The current literature reveals a gap in understanding how rehabilitation professionals, such as physical and occupational therapists, perceive and prepare to implement artificial intelligence (AI) in their practices. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study to assess the perceptions, knowledge, and willingness of rehabilitation healthcare providers to implement AI in practice. Methods: This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, with data collected from 430 physical therapy professionals via an online SurveyMonkey questionnaire between January and March 2024. The survey assessed demographics, AI knowledge and skills, and perceived challenges. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS 27) and DATAtab (version 2025), with frequencies, percentages, and nonparametric tests used to examine the relationships between the variables. Results: The majority of respondents (80.9%) believed that AI would be integrated into physical therapy in future, with 78.6% seeing AI as significantly impacting their work. While 61.4% thought that AI would reduce workload and enhance productivity, only 30% expressed concerns about AI endangering their profession. A lack of formal AI training has commonly been reported, with social media platforms being respondents’ primary source of AI knowledge. Despite these challenges, 85.1% expressed an eagerness to learn and use AI. Organizational preparedness was a significant barrier, with 45.6% of respondents reporting that their organizations lacked AI strategies. There were insignificant differences in the mean rank of AI perceptions or knowledge based on the gender, years of experience, and qualification degree of the respondents. Conclusions: The results demonstrated a strong interest in AI implementation in physical therapy. The majority of respondents expressed confidence in AI’s future utility and readiness to incorporate it into their practice. However, challenges, such as a lack of formal training and organizational preparedness, were identified. Overall, the findings highlight AI’s potential to revolutionize physical therapy while underscoring the necessity to address training and readiness to fully realize this potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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13 pages, 1004 KiB  
Article
Assessment Study of ChatGPT-3.5’s Performance on the Final Polish Medical Examination: Accuracy in Answering 980 Questions
by Julia Siebielec, Michal Ordak, Agata Oskroba, Anna Dworakowska and Magdalena Bujalska-Zadrozny
Healthcare 2024, 12(16), 1637; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161637 - 16 Aug 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2374
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is dynamically growing, and models such as ChatGPT show potential in enhancing medical education. In Poland, to obtain a medical diploma, candidates must pass the Medical Final Examination, which consists of 200 questions with [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is dynamically growing, and models such as ChatGPT show potential in enhancing medical education. In Poland, to obtain a medical diploma, candidates must pass the Medical Final Examination, which consists of 200 questions with one correct answer per question, is administered in Polish, and assesses students’ comprehensive medical knowledge and readiness for clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine how ChatGPT-3.5 handles questions included in this exam. Methods: This study considered 980 questions from five examination sessions of the Medical Final Examination conducted by the Medical Examination Center in the years 2022–2024. The analysis included the field of medicine, the difficulty index of the questions, and their type, namely theoretical versus case-study questions. Results: The average correct answer rate achieved by ChatGPT for the five examination sessions hovered around 60% and was lower (p < 0.001) than the average score achieved by the examinees. The lowest percentage of correct answers was in hematology (42.1%), while the highest was in endocrinology (78.6%). The difficulty index of the questions showed a statistically significant correlation with the correctness of the answers (p = 0.04). Questions for which ChatGPT-3.5 provided incorrect answers had a lower (p < 0.001) percentage of correct responses. The type of questions analyzed did not significantly affect the correctness of the answers (p = 0.46). Conclusions: This study indicates that ChatGPT-3.5 can be an effective tool for assisting in passing the final medical exam, but the results should be interpreted cautiously. It is recommended to further verify the correctness of the answers using various AI tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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Review

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15 pages, 878 KiB  
Review
Machine Learning in Primary Health Care: The Research Landscape
by Jernej Završnik, Peter Kokol, Bojan Žlahtič and Helena Blažun Vošner
Healthcare 2025, 13(13), 1629; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13131629 - 7 Jul 2025
Viewed by 199
Abstract
Background: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing crucial roles in digital transformation, aiming to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and responsiveness of primary health systems and their services. Method: Using synthetic knowledge synthesis and bibliometric and thematic analysis triangulation, we identified the [...] Read more.
Background: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are playing crucial roles in digital transformation, aiming to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and responsiveness of primary health systems and their services. Method: Using synthetic knowledge synthesis and bibliometric and thematic analysis triangulation, we identified the most productive and prolific countries, institutions, funding sponsors, source titles, publications productivity trends, and principal research categories and themes. Results: The United States and the United Kingdom were the most productive countries; Plos One and BJM Open were the most prolific journals; and the National Institutes of Health, USA, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China were the most productive funding sponsors. The publication productivity trend is positive and exponential. The main themes are related to natural language processing in clinical decision-making, primary health care optimization focusing on early diagnosis and screening, improving health-based social determinants, and using chatbots to optimize communications with patients and between health professionals. Conclusions: The use of machine learning in primary health care aims to address the significant global burden of so-called “missed diagnostic opportunities” while minimizing possible adverse effects on patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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25 pages, 1036 KiB  
Review
Telepsychiatry and Artificial Intelligence: A Structured Review of Emerging Approaches to Accessible Psychiatric Care
by Artem Bobkov, Feier Cheng, Jinpeng Xu, Tatiana Bobkova, Fangmin Deng, Jingran He, Xinyan Jiang, Dinislam Khuzin and Zheng Kang
Healthcare 2025, 13(11), 1348; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13111348 - 5 Jun 2025
Viewed by 703
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence is rapidly permeating the field of psychiatry. It offers novel avenues for the diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of mental health disorders. This structured review aims to consolidate current approaches to the application of AI in telepsychiatry. In addition, it evaluates [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence is rapidly permeating the field of psychiatry. It offers novel avenues for the diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of mental health disorders. This structured review aims to consolidate current approaches to the application of AI in telepsychiatry. In addition, it evaluates their technological maturity, clinical utility, and ethical–legal robustness. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for the period spanning 2015 to 2025. The selection and analysis processes adhered to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The final synthesis included 44 publications, among which 14 were empirical studies encompassing a broad spectrum of algorithmic approaches—ranging from neural networks and natural language processing (NLP) to multimodal architectures. Results: The review revealed a wide array of AI applications in telepsychiatry, encompassing automated diagnostics, therapeutic support, predictive modeling, and risk stratification. The most actively employed techniques include natural language and speech processing, multimodal analysis, and advanced forecasting models. However, significant barriers to implementation persist—ethical (threats to autonomy and risks of algorithmic bias), technological (limited generalizability and a lack of explainability), and legal (ambiguous accountability and weak regulatory frameworks). Conclusions: This review underscores a growing disconnect between the rapid evolution of AI technologies and the institutional maturity of tools suitable for scalable clinical integration. Despite notable technological advances, the clinical adoption of AI in telepsychiatry remains limited. The analysis identifies persistent methodological gaps and systemic barriers that demand coordinated efforts across research, technical, and regulatory communities. It also outlines key directions for future empirical studies and interdisciplinary development of implementation standards. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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33 pages, 1620 KiB  
Review
Federated Learning in Smart Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review on Privacy, Security, and Predictive Analytics with IoT Integration
by Syed Raza Abbas, Zeeshan Abbas, Arifa Zahir and Seung Won Lee
Healthcare 2024, 12(24), 2587; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12242587 - 22 Dec 2024
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 9134
Abstract
Federated learning (FL) is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling collaborative machine learning across institutions while preserving patient privacy and meeting regulatory standards. This review delves into FL’s applications within smart health systems, particularly its integration with IoT devices, wearables, and remote monitoring, which empower [...] Read more.
Federated learning (FL) is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling collaborative machine learning across institutions while preserving patient privacy and meeting regulatory standards. This review delves into FL’s applications within smart health systems, particularly its integration with IoT devices, wearables, and remote monitoring, which empower real-time, decentralized data processing for predictive analytics and personalized care. It addresses key challenges, including security risks like adversarial attacks, data poisoning, and model inversion. Additionally, it covers issues related to data heterogeneity, scalability, and system interoperability. Alongside these, the review highlights emerging privacy-preserving solutions, such as differential privacy and secure multiparty computation, as critical to overcoming FL’s limitations. Successfully addressing these hurdles is essential for enhancing FL’s efficiency, accuracy, and broader adoption in healthcare. Ultimately, FL offers transformative potential for secure, data-driven healthcare systems, promising improved patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and data sovereignty across the healthcare ecosystem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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Other

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15 pages, 1003 KiB  
Systematic Review
Deep Learning Applications in Dental Image-Based Diagnostics: A Systematic Review
by Osama Khattak, Ahmed Shawkat Hashem, Mohammed Saad Alqarni, Raha Ahmed Shamikh Almufarrij, Amna Yusuf Siddiqui, Rabia Anis, Shahzad Ahmad, Muhammad Amber Fareed, Osama Shujaa Alothmani, Lama Habis Samah Alkhershawy, Wesam Waleed Zain Alabidin, Rakhi Issrani and Anshoo Agarwal
Healthcare 2025, 13(12), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13121466 - 18 Jun 2025
Viewed by 524
Abstract
Background: AI has been adopted in dentistry for diagnosis, decision making, and therapy prognosis prediction. This systematic review aimed to identify AI models in dentistry, assess their performance, identify their shortcomings, and discuss their potential for adoption and integration in dental practice [...] Read more.
Background: AI has been adopted in dentistry for diagnosis, decision making, and therapy prognosis prediction. This systematic review aimed to identify AI models in dentistry, assess their performance, identify their shortcomings, and discuss their potential for adoption and integration in dental practice in the future. Methodology: The sources of the papers were the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. A total of 20 out of 947 needed further studies, and this was encompassed in the present meta-analysis. It identified diagnostic accuracy, predictive performance, and potential biases. Results: AI models demonstrated an overall diagnostic accuracy of 82%, primarily leveraging artificial neural networks (ANNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). These models have significantly improved the diagnostic precision for dental caries compared with traditional methods. Moreover, they have shown potential in detecting and managing conditions such as bone loss, malignant lesions, vertical root fractures, apical lesions, salivary gland disorders, and maxillofacial cysts, as well as in performing orthodontic assessments. However, the integration of AI systems into dentistry poses challenges, including potential data biases, cost implications, technical requirements, and ethical concerns such as patient data security and informed consent. AI models may also underperform when faced with limited or skewed datasets, thus underscoring the importance of robust training and validation procedures. Conclusions: AI has the potential to revolutionize dentistry by significantly improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning. However, before integrating this tool into clinical practice, a critical assessment of its advantages, disadvantages, and utility or ethical issues must be established. Future studies should aim to eradicate existing barriers and enhance the model’s ease of understanding and challenges regarding expense and data protection, to ensure the effective utilization of AI in dental healthcare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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22 pages, 2814 KiB  
Systematic Review
Artificial Intelligence-Based Software as a Medical Device (AI-SaMD): A Systematic Review
by Shouki A. Ebad, Asma Alhashmi, Marwa Amara, Achraf Ben Miled and Muhammad Saqib
Healthcare 2025, 13(7), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13070817 - 3 Apr 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1350
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence-based software as a medical device (AI-SaMD) refers to AI-powered software used for medical purposes without being embedded in physical devices. Despite increasing approvals over the past decade, research in this domain—spanning technology, healthcare, and national security—remains limited. This research aims [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Artificial intelligence-based software as a medical device (AI-SaMD) refers to AI-powered software used for medical purposes without being embedded in physical devices. Despite increasing approvals over the past decade, research in this domain—spanning technology, healthcare, and national security—remains limited. This research aims to bridge the existing research gap in AI-SaMD by systematically reviewing the literature from the past decade, with the aim of classifying key findings, identifying critical challenges, and synthesizing insights related to technological, clinical, and regulatory aspects of AI-SaMD. Methods: A systematic literature review based on the PRISMA framework was performed to select the relevant AI-SaMD studies published between 2015 and 2024 in order to uncover key themes such as publication venues, geographical trends, key challenges, and research gaps. Results: Most studies focus on specialized clinical settings like radiology and ophthalmology rather than general clinical practice. Key challenges to implement AI-SaMD include regulatory issues (e.g., regulatory frameworks), AI malpractice (e.g., explainability and expert oversight), and data governance (e.g., privacy and data sharing). Existing research emphasizes the importance of (1) addressing the regulatory problems through the specific duties of regulatory authorities, (2) interdisciplinary collaboration, (3) clinician training, (4) the seamless integration of AI-SaMD with healthcare software systems (e.g., electronic health records), and (5) the rigorous validation of AI-SaMD models to ensure effective implementation. Conclusions: This study offers valuable insights for diverse stakeholders, emphasizing the need to move beyond theoretical analyses and prioritize practical, experimental research to advance the real-world application of AI-SaMDs. This study concludes by outlining future research directions and emphasizing the limitations of the predominantly theoretical approaches currently available. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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28 pages, 957 KiB  
Systematic Review
Advancing Diabetic Foot Ulcer Care: AI and Generative AI Approaches for Classification, Prediction, Segmentation, and Detection
by Suhaylah Alkhalefah, Isra AlTuraiki and Najwa Altwaijry
Healthcare 2025, 13(6), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13060648 - 16 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2481
Abstract
Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent a significant challenge in managing diabetes, leading to higher patient complications and increased healthcare costs. Traditional approaches, such as manual wound assessment and diagnostic tool usage, often require significant resources, including skilled clinicians, specialized equipment, and [...] Read more.
Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) represent a significant challenge in managing diabetes, leading to higher patient complications and increased healthcare costs. Traditional approaches, such as manual wound assessment and diagnostic tool usage, often require significant resources, including skilled clinicians, specialized equipment, and extensive time. Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI offer promising solutions for improving DFU management. This study systematically reviews the role of AI in DFU classification, prediction, segmentation, and detection. Furthermore, it highlights the role of generative AI in overcoming data scarcity and potential of AI-based smartphone applications for remote monitoring and diagnosis. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant studies published between 2020 and 2025 were identified from databases including PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and Web of Science. The review focused on AI and generative AI applications in DFU and excluded non-DFU-related medical imaging articles. Results: This study indicates that AI-powered models have significantly improved DFU classification accuracy, early detection, and predictive modeling. Generative AI techniques, such as GANs and diffusion models, have demonstrated potential in addressing dataset limitations by generating synthetic DFU images. Additionally, AI-powered smartphone applications provide cost-effective solutions for DFU monitoring, potentially improving diagnosis. Conclusions: AI and generative AI are transforming DFU management by enhancing diagnostic accuracy and predictive capabilities. Future research should prioritize explainable AI frameworks and diverse datasets for AI-driven healthcare solutions to facilitate broader clinical adoption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges)
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