Georgian Med News. 2025 Oct;(367):88-97.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This review aims to analyse and systematise the ethical and legal aspects of implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases within the framework of primary health care.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The review was conducted in accordance with established scientific standards for writing review articles. A comprehensive literature search was performed using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Key search terms included: «artificial intelligence», «primary health care», «cardiovascular diseases», «ethics», «legal aspects», «data protection», and «medical AI». The review included publications from 2005 to 2025, with a focus on peer-reviewed articles and reports addressing the ethical and/or legal application of AI in healthcare.
RESULTS: The findings of the review indicate that despite the high potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve diagnostic accuracy, expand access to medical care, and reduce the burden on healthcare professionals, its implementation in primary health care is accompanied by a range of ethical and legal challenges. These include ensuring data privacy, obtaining informed consent, promoting equitable access to AI technologies, addressing legal uncertainty, and clarifying liability in cases of AI-related errors. Particular attention must be paid to vulnerable and rural populations to prevent digital inequality. Although AI holds promising applications-such as remote monitoring of cardiovascular health and intelligent decision support-the level of trust among healthcare providers in these algorithms remains limited. This highlights the need for a comprehensive regulatory and educational framework to ensure the safe and ethical integration of AI into clinical practice.
CONCLUSION: Artificial intelligence (AI) holds significant potential for improving the quality of cardiovascular disease diagnosis in primary health care. However, its effective and safe implementation is possible only when supported by a well-defined ethical and legal framework. To minimise risks related to data privacy, algorithmic bias, legal liability, and unequal access, collaboration is essential among physicians, developers, legal experts, ethicists, and patient representatives. This collaboration should focus on developing unified regulatory policies, patient-centred technologies, and practical ethical guidelines. Future research should prioritise empirical evaluation of AI integration outcomes in cardiovascular diagnostics, as well as cross-cultural analyses. Such efforts will help shape a sustainable and adaptable global policy for the ethical use of AI in primary cardiology practice.
PMID:41370688