Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41894678›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2026

Measuring the Impact of AI on Report-Drafting Efficiency in Chest Computed Tomography Interpretation: Retrospective Analysis.

Weiqi Liu, You Wu, Wei Yu, Mark J Bittle, Zhuozhao Zheng, Hadi Kharrazi

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Weiqi Liu *Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6221-7136
You Wu *Institute for Hospital Management, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9672-6129
Wei YuDepartment of Radiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2896-6236
Mark J BittleDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7258-4445
Zhuozhao ZhengDepartment of Radiology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8547-6670
Hadi KharraziDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1481-4323

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundArtificial intelligence (AI), particularly deep learning, has shown promise in enhancing medical image interpretation and improving radiologists' efficiency. In China, growing imaging demand and workforce shortages have placed increasing pressure on radiology services. However, evidence on the operational impact of AI on reporting efficiency remains limited.

objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of an AI system on radiologists' reporting efficiency by examining changes in report-drafting time for lung nodule diagnosis in chest computed tomography (CT) images.

methodsWe analyzed 185,044 chest CT reports from Beijing Anzhen and Tsinghua Changgung Hospitals (2018-2023) using a difference-in-differences design with nonequivalent comparison groups. Report-drafting time before, immediately after, and up to 2 years following AI implementation was compared, adjusting for radiologist gender, seniority, and years of working experience.

resultsThe pooled analysis showed a modest overall increase of 0.86 minutes (95% CI 0.14 to 1.57). However, this masked substantial heterogeneity between hospitals due to differing implementation timelines. In the first year after AI deployment, Tsinghua Changgung Hospital experienced a nonsignificant increase of 0.90 minutes (95% CI -0.28 to 2.08). In contrast, at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, the AI-assisted group exhibited an absolute reduction of 0.76 minutes by the first year and a further 1.83-minute reduction by the second year (an approximate 28% time saved vs baseline), while the control group remained stable over time. Using a difference-in-differences framework, this corresponded to a 2.66-minute relative improvement compared with the counterfactual trend (P<.001).

conclusionsAI-assisted lung nodule diagnosis may initially increase report-drafting time due to adaptation and workflow adjustment. Sustained, meaningful efficiency gains were heterogeneous and observed at only 1 of the 2 study sites, indicating that long-term impacts are strongly contingent on site-specific implementation dynamics, learning curves, and local context.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceTomography, X-Ray ComputedChinaFemaleHumansIntelligent SystemsMaleRetrospective StudiesAIartificial intelligencechest computed tomographyclinical workflow evaluationefficiencylung noduleradiology

Identifiers

PMID41894678
PMCPMC13069373

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.