AccScience Publishing / AIH / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AIH026290095
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Perceived barriers to artificial intelligence integration among Moroccan public health care professionals: A cross-sectional study

Mohamed Khalyfa1* Mounia Amane2 Mohammed Echchakery1
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1 Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technologies, Higher Institute of Health Sciences, Hassan First University, Settat , Morocco
2 Higher Institute of Nursing Profession and Health Techniques of Marrakech, Marrakech , Morocco
Received: 19 July 2026 | Revised: 20 August 2026 | Accepted: 1 September 2026 | Published online: 14 September 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly promoted as a tool for improving health care delivery, yet successful implementation depends on workforce and organizational readiness. This cross-sectional analytical study assessed perceived barriers to AI integration and associated factors among 480 health care professionals working in public facilities in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco. Participants were recruited through professional and institutional networks and completed an anonymous electronic questionnaire. The final 11-item instrument measured technological, organizational, ethical and personal, and interdisciplinary collaboration barriers on a five-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater barriers. Organizational barriers had the highest mean score (3.36 ± 0.84), followed by ethical and personal barriers (2.69 ± 0.99), technological barriers (2.61 ± 0.76), and interdisciplinary collaboration barriers (2.25 ± 0.90). The overall score was 2.76 ± 0.64, and 80.2% of participants reported no prior formal AI training. In multivariable general linear models, prior formal AI training was the only factor significantly associated with all four dimensions and the overall score, with the largest effect sizes for organizational barriers (ηp2 = 0.326) and overall barriers (ηp2 = 0.148); these two estimates were attenuated (ηp2 = 0.088 and 0.078) in a sensitivity analysis excluding one scale item that overlapped conceptually with the training variable. Because of the cross-sectional, self-reported design, this association cannot be interpreted causally. Age, professional category, educational qualification, and department showed dimension-specific associations, whereas gender and professional experience were not independently associated after adjustment. These findings indicate that AI integration in Moroccan public health care is constrained primarily by organizational preparedness and limited training. Role-specific education, clear institutional policies, supportive leadership, and adequate digital infrastructure are therefore needed. Given the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling, causal inference and broad generalization should be approached with caution.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Artificial intelligence
Health care professionals
Implementation barriers
Organizational readiness
AI training
Digital health
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Artificial Intelligence in Health, Electronic ISSN: 3029-2387 Print ISSN: 3041-0894, Published by AccScience Publishing