Advancing Toward P6 Medicine: Recommendations for Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Internal Medicine

Background: Internists formulate diagnostic hypotheses and personalized treatment plans by integrating data from a comprehensive clinical interview, reviewing a patient’s medical history, physical examination and findings from complementary tests. The patient treatment life cycle generates a significant volume of data points that can offer valuable insights to improve patient care by guiding clinical decision-making. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and, in particular, Generative AI (GAI), are promising tools in this regard, particularly after the introduction of Large Language Models. The European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM) recognizes the transformative impact of AI in leveraging clinical data and advancing the field of internal medicine. This position paper from the EFIM explores how AI can be applied to achieve the goals of P6 Medicine principles in internal medicine. P6 Medicine is an advanced healthcare model that extends the concept of Personalized Medicine toward a holistic, predictive, patient-centered approach that also integrates psycho-cognitive and socially responsible dimensions. An additional concept introduced is that of Digital Therapies (DTx), software applications designed to prevent and manage diseases and disorders through AI, which are used in the clinical setting if validated by rigorous research studies. Methods: The literature examining the relationship between AI and Internal Medicine was investigated through a bibliometric analysis. The themes identified in the literature review were further examined through the Delphi method. Thirty international AI and Internal Medicine experts constituted the Delphi panel. Results: Delphi results were summarized in a SWOT Analysis. The evidence is that through extensive data analysis, diagnostic capacity, drug development and patient tracking are increased. Conclusions: The panel unanimously considered AI in Internal Medicine as an opportunity, achieving a complete consensus on the matter. AI-driven solutions, including clinical applications of GAI and DTx, hold the potential to strongly change internal medicine by streamlining workflows, enhancing patient care and generating valuable data.