Consumers turn to AI to fill in healthcare experience gaps

AI fuels patient engagement

Overall, around a third of American patients already use AI tools like ChatGPT to research medical topics. Another 61% use AI-powered search engines to learn more about their health.

What's more, patients are actually interested in using AI for more of their health-related tasks. For example, 41% said they'd be willing to use AI for personalized health reminders or alerts, while 39.6% said the same about scheduling chatbots. Meanwhile, 36.5% said they'd be interested in using a tool to help them read their test results.

Consumers might be interested in using AI for their healthcare engagement because the industry is currently falling short of their expectations, the survey indicated.

For example, 38% of respondents face long appointment wait times, while another 24% said it's hard to book an appointment at all. About a third (32%) of respondents are frustrated with their insurance and a quarter are worried about their healthcare finances.

Conversely, most patients said they understand the care instructions their clinicians give them, meaning patients don't think there's a health literacy gap. Indeed, 42.8% of respondents said they are "very confident" in understanding healthcare information and 49.6% are "somewhat confident."

Still, the researchers said this confidence could actually set the stage for patient AI use. If patients believe themselves capable of understanding medical content, they might choose to bypass the traditional healthcare systems that frustrate them and do their own AI-powered research instead.

That said, patients aren't seeking unfettered AI utilization. The survey showed they still desire guardrails to ensure patient safety and privacy.

Patients want AI guardrails

Although patients are increasingly using AI to fill in patient experience and care access gaps, they're still cautious of the technology and want to ensure quality control guardrails are in place.

Specifically, 88% want a disclosure whenever their provider uses AI in their care, and another 83% think they should have the right to opt out of AI being used in their care. Another 86% said they want it explained clearly and plainly to them how AI might be used in their care.

"This poll shows strong public support for technologies that help individuals easily achieve their health goals, but distrust in the systems and institutions behind them is creating tension and driving calls for transparency and regulation," Foluke Omosun, assistant professor and director of the strategic communication and public relations program at Sacred Heart, said in a press release.

"As an educator and health communication researcher, I see this as an opportunity for health communication professionals to help address public concerns by prioritizing ethics, transparency and accountability, which are key for rebuilding public trust and shaping the future of healthcare," Omosun added.

Personal connection still essential to care experiences

Although patients are optimistic about the role AI could play in their healthcare experiences, they still recognize that the personal connection they have with their healthcare providers is invaluable.

Nearly two-thirds (64.5%) acknowledged that AI is being used to support or deliver healthcare services, and many say that's promising. For example, 57% said AI could improve patient access to health information and access to health services.

But patients don't think AI can or will replace their doctors in the foreseeable future. While around 38% said AI could replace their doctors in the next 10 years, 47% said it could not.

To that end, healthcare providers will need to find a balance between AI integration and patient-provider relationships.

"While AI offers unprecedented access to information and operational efficiency, many individuals continue to value human connection, particularly the relational and affective competencies, such as empathy and nuanced judgment, that technology cannot fully replicate," Anna Price, SHU professor of health science, said in the press release.

"This pattern is evident across sectors: customer experience research consistently shows that people prefer human interaction when facing uncertainty, concern or complex problem solving," Price concluded. "As AI becomes increasingly embedded in health information and decision-support contexts, intentional strategies will be needed to preserve meaningful human engagement alongside technological innovation."

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.