Procurement, commissioning and QA of AI based solutions: An MPE's perspective on introducing AI in clinical practice

Purpose: In this study, we propose a framework to help the MPE take up a unique and important role at the introduction of AI solutions in clinical practice, and more in particular at procurement, acceptance, commissioning and QA. Material and methods: The steps for the introduction of Medical Radiological Equipment in a hospital setting were extrapolated to AI tools. Literature review and in-house experience was added to prepare similar, yet dedicated test methods. Results: Procurement starts from the clinical cases to be solved and is usually a complex process with many stakeholders and possibly many candidate AI solutions. Specific KPIs and metrics need to be defined. Acceptance testing follows, to verify the installation and test for critical exams. Commissioning should test the suitability of the AI tool for the intended use in the local institution. Results may be predicted from peer reviewed papers that treat representative populations. If not available, local data sets can be prepared to assess the KPIs, or 'virtual clinical trials' could be used to create large, simulated test data sets. Quality assurance must be performed periodically to verify if KPIs are stable, especially if the software is upscaled or upgraded, and as soon as selflearning AI tools would enter the medical practice. Discussion: MPEs are well placed to bridge between manufacturer and medical team and help from procurement up to reporting to the management board. More work is needed to establish consolidated test protocols.