Americans Have Mixed Feelings About AI in Health Care, Poll Finds

Aug 23, 2024

THURSDAY, Aug. 22, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Most Americans believe artificial intelligence should be used to improve health care, a new national survey reports.

However, many are still a little queasy over some of the implications of widespread AI use, the poll found.

The Ohio State University survey found that most Americans think AI can be beneficial:

75% think AI could help minimize human errors
71% would like AI to reduce wait times
70% would be comfortable with AI taking notes during an appointment
66% believe AI could improve work-life balance for health care providers

But just over half (56%) said they still find AI in health care a little scary, and 70% have concerns about data privacy, the poll found.

“I know patients are concerned about the privacy and the security of their data, but we hold the artificial intelligence and this technology to the same standards that we hold our electronic medical record,” Dr. Ravi Tripathi, chief health information officer at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center, said in a news release.

A pilot program at Ohio State has provided some insights into the potential benefits of AI-assisted health care, Tripathi said in a university news release.

In the program, Microsoft-developed AI listened to patient visits and drafted clinical notes for the person’s electronic medical record. This allowed doctors to focus on the patient rather than on note-taking, Tripathi said.

“We found it saved up to four minutes per visit. That’s time the physician can use to connect with the patient, do education and make sure they understand the plan going forward,” Tripathi said.

“A few clinicians preferred their old workflow but, overall, 80% completed the pilot,” Tripathi added. “In fact, we allowed them to keep using the AI solution afterward because it had significantly impacted their practices in the eight weeks of testing.”

Ohio State internist Dr. Harrison Jackson was one of the physicians impressed by the AI assistance.

“Documentation is necessary, but it takes away from the quality of patient interaction during a visit. I even apologize. I say, ‘I’m sorry, I know I’m making more eye contact with the computer than with you,’” Jackson said.

Jackson said testing revealed some occasional missteps by the AI, such as incorrect pronouns or mistaken words.

These were all things easily fixed when he reviewed the AI’s notes, Jackson said, and he is interested in using AI in the future.

“I’m spending as much if not more time with each patient, and it’s higher quality time with more eye contact. I often mention aspects of a physical exam out loud for the AI program to capture, and it prompts a good conversation with my patient,” Jackson said. “I’ve also let our residents use the technology under my supervision, and we’ve noticed the quality of their patient interactions and the quality of plans they present have improved.”

The national survey involved 1,006 people.

More information

The National Academy of Medicine has more about AI in healthcare.

SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, Aug. 21, 2024