Background: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in cancer care has gained unprecedented global attention over the past few decades. This has impacted the way that cancer care is practiced and delivered across settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals (HCPs) on cancer treatment and the need for AI. This study is a part of the INCISIVE European Union H2020 project's development of user requirements, which aims to fully explore the potential of AI-based cancer imaging technologies. Methods: A mixed-methods research design was employed. HCPs participating in cancer care in the UK, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Serbia were first surveyed anonymously online. Twenty-seven HCPs then participated in semi-structured interviews. Appropriate statistical method was adopted to report the survey results by using SPSS. The interviews were audio recorded, verbatim transcribed, and then thematically analysed supported by NVIVO. Results: The survey drew responses from 95 HCPs. The occurrence of diagnostic delay was reported by 56% (n = 28/50) for breast cancer, 64% (n = 27/42) for lung cancer, 76% (n = 34/45) for colorectal cancer and 42% (n = 16/38) for prostate cancer. A proportion of participants reported the occurrence of false positives in the accuracy of the current imaging techniques used: 64% (n = 32/50) reported this for breast cancer, 60% (n = 25/42) for lung cancer, 51% (n = 23/45) for colorectal cancer and 45% (n = 17/38) for prostate cancer. All participants agreed that the use of technology would enhance the care pathway for cancer patients. Despite the positive perspectives toward AI, certain limitations were also recorded. The majority (73%) of respondents (n = 69/95) reported they had never utilised technology in the care pathway which necessitates the need for education and training in the qualitative finding; compared to 27% (n = 26/95) who had and were still using it. Most, 89% of respondents (n = 85/95) said they would be opened to providing AI-based services in the future to improve medical imaging for cancer care. Interviews with HCPs revealed lack of widespread preparedness for AI in oncology, several barriers to introducing AI, and a need for education and training. Provision of AI training, increasing public awareness of AI, using evidence-based technology, and developing AI based interventions that will not replace HCPs were some of the recommendations. Conclusion: HCPs reported favourable opinions of AI-based cancer imaging technologies and noted a number of care pathway concerns where AI can be useful. For the future design and execution of the INCISIVE project and other comparable AI-based projects, the characteristics and recommendations offered in the current research can serve as a reference.

Finding new ways to cost-effectively facilitate population screening and improve cancer diagnoses at an early stage supported by data-driven AI models provides unprecedented opportunities to reduce cancer related mortality. This work presents the INCISIVE project initiative towards enhancing AI solutions for health imaging by unifying, harmonizing, and securely sharing scattered cancer-related data to ensure large datasets which are critically needed to develop and evaluate trustworthy AI models. The adopted solutions of the INCISIVE project have been outlined in terms of data collection, harmonization, data sharing, and federated data storage in compliance with legal, ethical, and FAIR principles. Experiences and examples feature breast cancer data integration and mammography collection, indicating the current progress, challenges, and future directions.

Community pharmacists’ (CPs’) interventions have a positive impact on managing respiratory patients. However, methods used by CPs to assess patients’ inhaler technique and adherence are subjective. New technologies to objectively assess inhaler technique and adherence were introduced to address such a gap. This study aimed to explore CPs’ perceptions towards the management of respiratory patients regarding inhaler technique and adherence. In addition, it explored the views of CPs and their need of technologies to objectively assess inhaler technique and adherence. CPs were probed with a new technology called Inhaler Compliance Assessment (INCA) device, designed to objectively monitor both inhaler technique and adherence of patients using a dry powder inhaler, as an example. A qualitative study employing semi-structured interviews was conducted. A convenience and snowballing sampling strategy was employed to recruit CPs working in independent community pharmacies within West and South London. Twenty-three pharmacists were interviewed between August and November 2015. Data was analysed thematically using the framework methodology and coded using NVivo10 software. Analysis revealed five main themes: services and limitations of patient support, the need and acceptability of new technologies to support respiratory patients, fragmented primary care, the need to promote the clinical role of CPs, and professional identity. Patient support was patchy and affected by several barriers related to pharmacists and patients. In addition, lack of communications with different healthcare professionals in primary care and inaccessibility to clinical records were identified as problematic issues. Some CPs perceived their clinical role to be lacking within the patient care pathway. Interestingly, CPs showed positive a attitude towards the use of technologies, such as the INCA technology to support patients and were willing to provide new services. However, remuneration appeared to be a major driver for willingness to offer new services or promote existing services. The current study highlighted some measures that can augment CPs’ clinical practice while managing patients, such as having accessibility to patients’ medical records and the use of technologies such as the INCA technology to promote objective counselling of patients.

Background: The INhaler Compliance Assessment (INCA^TM) device is an electronic monitoring device (EMD) that assesses both patient’s adherence and inhaler technique (IT). This study aimed, first, to assess the value of using the INCA^TM device as an objective measure during medicine use review (MUR) consultations provided by community pharmacists (CPs) on patients’ adherence and IT. Second, we aimed to explore patients’ perceptions about the INCA^TM device. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used, involving two phases. Phase one was a service evaluation in independent community pharmacies in London with a before-and-after study design. The service included provision of an MUR consultation to asthma and COPD patients using objective feedback about adherence and IT generated with the INCA^TM device. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed using SPSS. Phase two involved semi-structured interviews with respiratory patients. Thematic analysis was performed to generate key findings. Main findings: Eighteen patients participated in the study (12 COPD and 6 asthma). The results showed significant improvement in the INCA^TM actual adherence from 30% to 68% (p = 0.001) and significant reduction in IT error rate from 51% to 12% (p = 0.002) after conducting the service. Analysis of the interviews revealed patients’ positive attitudes in terms of the perceived benefits of the technology and a desire for future use and recommendation for others. Patients had also positive attitudes towards the consultations provided. Conclusion: Embedding an objective measure about adherence and IT during CPs’ consultations showed a significant improvement in patients’ adherence and IT and was accepted by patients as well.