Consumers believe AI can enhance the patient experience, but responsible use by providers is key

The news: 59% of US adults believe using AI to assist in diagnosis and treatment will result in better patient outcomes within the next 10 years, according to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Gwynedd Mercy University by The Harris Poll. Some 2,099 consumers across the US were surveyed in November 2024.

Digging into the data: 77% of consumers expressed a willingness to use AI-assisted healthcare tools. Most notably, 65% see using AI to help with scheduling, billing, and other administrative tasks as factors that will enhance the patient experience within the next decade.

Digging deeper:

• 35% said they’d consider using AI to remotely monitor chronic conditions.
• 33% would consider using the tech for predictive health alerts.
• And 31% are open to using AI for virtual health assistance.

Yes, but: 88% of consumers express concerns about the growing use of AI in healthcare settings, with 58% specifically worried about the lack of human oversight.

Our take: Consumer wariness over the use of AI in their direct care likely stems from the tech’s propensity to hallucinate and arrive at potentially inaccurate or harmful conclusions.

For now, consumers are more comfortable with AI handling lower-risk tasks like scheduling appointments and billing. Providers using AI-enabled solutions for patient care need to emphasize that the tech has been responsibly implemented and the conclusions it’s come to have been verified by a human to assuage any concerns.

Providers that don’t emphasize that their AI tools are vetted run the risk of severing the patient-provider relationship entirely. Some 89% of US adults say clinicians need to be clear and transparent about the use of AI in healthcare, per a 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health survey.

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