Patients expect AI will be part of the future of health care

Your patients may be ready to deal with artificial intelligence (AI) in a health care setting.

Tebra, a technology consulting firm that specializes in working with independent practices, surveyed 1,000 people to seek their opinions about AI.

Artificial intelligence has been used for years in some forms in health care. But the abilities of OpenAI’s program ChatGPT have caused an explosion in interest in AI in medicine and other fields, since it became publicly available in November 2022, according to news reports.

It appears patients are ready for their physicians to integrate it into medical practices, but the computer may not have the answer to every one of their questions, according to the Tebra survey.

“AI technology is becoming an increasingly popular health care tool, but its advice should be taken with a healthy grain of salt,” the Tebra survey said.

“While most Americans and healthcare providers are optimistic about the benefits of AI in health care, concerns remain about the accuracy and reliability of the information it provides,” according to Tebra. “There’s also the issue of patients’ data privacy, which is of the utmost concern in the health care industry. As these technologies evolve, it will be critical to alleviate these concerns so AI can benefit the public with minimal side effects.”

Here's how patients responded to questions about AI in medicine. The percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.