21 Beliefs about AI in Health Care, from People Like Your Patients
AI is welcomed by US adults for streamlining the administrative complexity of getting medical care but not so much for replacing health care professionals themselves.
The patient journey has gotten worse or remained stagnant in the last year, according to 62% of survey respondents who feel health care professional support is eroding.
The complexity of the US health care system makes navigation frustrating for many who complain of issues such as difficulty making appointment and insurance problems.
Half of the survey respondents believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will make their experience of health care better in the next year.
AI is likely to improve health care in the US according to more than half of the men and half of the millennials responding to the survey. Women are not as optimistic.
Artificial intelligence will take over administrative tasks, leaving more time for health care professionals to spend with patients, said half of respondents.
AI has the potential to automate administrative tasks and to improve communication among a team of health care professionals--most respondents agreed with this.
High touch is still more important than high tech along some parts of the patient journey.
Medical advice is still preferred coming from a human health care professional and three-quarters of respondents want to talk about personal health information with a human, not an automated agent.
AI in health care settings is best suited for automation of administrative tasks including updating information, Rx refills, and scheduling.
Patients who have avoided care because a personal health issue was too sensitive to discuss could benefit from AI, according to 30% of respondents.
Chatbots would be acceptable for two-thirds of respondents when making an appointment for a sensitive health issue.
Chatbots do have benefits, respondents agreed. They do not judge, rush, or make one feel "stupid" if the AI agent has misunderstood.
AI in health care still gives some people pause given the potential for inaccuracies, data privacy issues, and the loss of human touch in caregiving.
Oversight of use of AI in clinical settings is imperative; less than one-quarter of respondents believe current regulations are adequate.
When it comes to use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, a survey of 1000 US adults found they are eager for its use to improve efficiency and reduce the complexity of navigating the health care system, but also have reservations about the ability of chatbots or avatars to provide the high touch, human side of a medical encounter. The survey respondents also had little confidence in current regulations to monitor and guide the use of AI in clinical settings.
Click through the at-a-glance findings above from the Talkdesk US Consumer Healthcare Survey, conducted in August, for specifics on how your own patients may be thinking about AI at their next appointment.
