Position statements approved at Federal Council

The AMA is in the process of releasing new position statements approved at the latest Federal Council meeting a fortnight ago.

Last week, the AMA released its first position statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare, which argued medical care delivered by human beings should never be replaced with AI.

The position statement, which garnered media attention, recognises that AI can assist in the delivery of improved care, advancing our healthcare system and the health of all Australians.

But AMA President Professor Steve Robson said appropriate policies and protocols must be in place to regulate the use of AI.

“The AMA sees great potential for AI to assist in diagnosis, for example, or recommending treatments and at transitions of care, but a medical practitioner must always be ultimately responsible for decisions and communication with their patients,” Professor Robson said.

“There’s no doubt we are on the cusp of big changes AI can bring to the sector and this will require robust governance and regulation which is appropriate to the healthcare setting and engenders trust in the system.”

Also approved at Federal Council, and now released publicly, is the AMA’s new position statement on General Practice Accreditation.

According to the position statement, the AMA strongly supports a profession led voluntary general practice accreditation system that encourages and supports practices to not only meet a minimum set of standards, but also share the findings of any assessments with their clinical teams, and to continuously pursue improvement.

The position statement also highlights the importance of an accreditation system that is independent of government, is under the effective control of actively practising GPs and does not interfere with clinical practise or business structures.