Patient's comfort in AI-driven healthcare linked to familiarity: Report

New Delhi: Patients' familiarity with artificial intelligence (AI) significantly influences their comfort level when considering healthcare facilities utilising this technology, according to a report on Monday.

New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Patients' familiarity with artificial intelligence (AI) significantly influences their comfort level when considering healthcare facilities utilising this technology, according to a report on Monday.

As the healthcare landscape undergoes transformation due to factors like ageing populations, rising chronic diseases, and shifts in lifestyle choices, technology, particularly AI, is playing an increasingly vital role.

The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, showed that out of patients who were familiar with AI, 60 per cent were either very or quite comfortable with using a healthcare facility that uses AI, while of the ones who were not familiar with AI, only 7 per cent were.

"AI is already successfully used to detect image-based diseases such as cancer and the technology is continuously evolving to enable much wider use cases within healthcare. Successful use cases can encourage further adoption and investment in this technology," said Urte Jakimaviciute, Senior Director of Market Research at GlobalData, in a statement.

"Together with the development of a robust regulatory framework, it is imperative to prioritise patient education regarding the technology. This education should aim to enhance comprehension of AI’s utilisation, its potential advantages, and associated adoption risks, ultimately fostering increased trust in AI. Enhanced knowledge empowers individuals to make informed decisions and mitigate biases linked to this technology," Jakimaviciute added.

The report is based on a survey of 574 patients from India, the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico between July and August. The survey data also reveals that younger surveyed patients (18-55 years old) were more likely to be familiar with AI than older (56+ years) patients, with more than 50 per cent of them rating their knowledge as moderately or very familiar. Younger generations tend to be introduced to technology earlier in their life and as a result have more knowledge as well as confidence in technologies like AI.

"While AI adoption is inevitable, it must be inclusive. Even though younger generations may drive the use and adoption of AI, building a fair and ethical AI system will need intergenerational collaboration. AI use will need to address generation-wide issues, and therefore it is essential to ensure that all generations can benefit from the adoption of AI," Jakimaviciute said.