Exploring the use of an AI-enabled tool in NHS skin cancer care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Disrupting Dermatology: How are AI-enabled diagnostic tools impacting skin cancer care within the NHS?
IRAS ID
357195
Contact name
Michelle Yeung
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
000000, 000000
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 26 days
Research summary
This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) enabled diagnostic tools are being used in the care of skin cancer within the NHS. As these tools become more common, it is important to understand how they affect everyday clinical practice, how NHS staff and patients interact with them, and how people feel about their use––including any sense of trust, concern, or acceptance. The study also considers how these feelings may shape people’s experiences of giving or receiving care.
The study focuses on one AI-enabled diagnostic tool currently used in some NHS services to support the assessment of skin lesions and assist in the early detection of skin cancer. This tool is used as a case study to explore broader questions about how AI technologies can be effectively and appropriately integrated into NHS care, and what practical, ethical, and emotional challenges may arise along the way.
The research takes an ethnographic approach, meaning the researcher will spend time in NHS settings to observe how the tool is used in real-life clinical practice. Data will be collected in three main ways:
1. Non-participant observation, where the researcher quietly observes clinics and workflows without interfering in care;
2. Think-aloud protocols, where staff — and, with consent, patients — are invited to talk through their thoughts while using or reflecting on care involving the tool;
3. Interviews, where participants can share their views, experiences, and reflections in more depth.
The researcher will invite clinical and non-clinical NHS staff in dermatology services (such as clinicians, nurses, administrators, or referral staff) and patients who have interacted with the AI-supported care pathway to take part.
The study is being conducted by a DPhil (doctoral) researcher at the University of Oxford. Participation is voluntary and confidential. The study is not testing new technologies, but aims to understand how existing tools are experienced in everyday care.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/WM/0257
Date of REC Opinion
19 Dec 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion