Just One in Five Consumers Trust AI-Generated Healthcare Advice

Only 20 percent of consumers would trust AI-generated advice for healthcare, according to survey 2,048 U.S. adults by The Harris Poll on behalf of Invoca.

There is a generation gap when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare. Twenty-two percent of 18- to 34-year-olds would trust AI-generated advice for healthcare, compared with 10 percent of adults older than 65.

One-third of consumers prefer to receive healthcare advice over the phone, compared to 30 percent who prefer in-person, 25 percent online, 6 percent via a mobile app, and 5 percent via AI.

“From an industry standpoint, it’s paramount that healthcare marketers give patients the opportunity for human connection and use that interaction to further personalize the patient experience,” wrote Laura Schierberl, director of content marketing and communications at Invoca, in a blog post.

Women are more likely to prefer the use of a phone for healthcare advice than men (36 percent versus 28 percent).

Invoca related that Cleveland-based University Hospitals receives over 400,000 inbound calls from patients per month. The health care system has more than 200 locations, 18 hospitals, 55 health centers, and 30,000 employees.

“In healthcare, a phone call, including one driven by a marketing campaign, isn’t just a phone call,” explained Noah Brooks, manager of analytics and strategy at University Hospitals.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that when patients call, they get the information and care they need, right when they need it. That responsibility includes using better technology to create a better patient experience,” Brooks added.

HEALTHCARE AI MARKET IS FORECAST TO REACH $36B BY 2025

According to a market research report by MarketsandMarkets, the AI healthcare market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 50.2 percent between 2018 and 2025 – from $2.1 billion in 2018 to $36.1 billion by 2025.

Big data and the need to reduce healthcare costs are driving the growth of the healthcare AI market. Other factors driving market growth include improving computing power, declining cost of hardware, and the demand to reduce the imbalance between the healthcare workforce and patients.

However, reluctance by medical professionals to adopt AI-based technologies, lack of a skilled workforce, and unclear regulatory guidelines for medical software are among the factors restraining healthcare AI market growth.

Growing adoption of AI solutions is expected to propel the growth of the services segment, which is expected to see the highest growth. For the successful deployment of AI, there is a need for deployment, integration, support, and maintenance services, the report noted.

Many vendors that manufacture and develop AI systems and software provide both online and offline support depending on the applications.

HOSPITALS USE MACHINE LEARNING TO IMPROVE PATIENT OUTCOMES

Hospitals, research centers, pharmaceutical companies, and other healthcare institutions are increasingly using machine learning to improve patient outcomes.

The adoption of natural language processing in applications such as patient-data and risk analysis, lifestyle management and monitoring, and mental health is propelling the growth of this technology in the market, the report noted.

The hospitals and providers segment is forecast to hold the largest size of AI in healthcare market in terms of end users during the forecast period.

Factors responsible for the high share of the hospitals and providers segment include a large number of applications of AI solutions across provider settings; ability of AI systems to improve care delivery, patient experience, and bring down costs; and growing adoption of electronic health records by healthcare organizations.

Moreover, AI-based tools, such as voice recognition software and clinical decision support systems, help streamline workflow processes in hospitals, lower cost, improve care delivery, and enhance patient experience.

North America is likely to be the largest contributor to healthcare AI market growth during the forecast period, the report observed. High spending in healthcare, especially in the United States and Canada, is likely to spur growth of next-generation technologies such as AI.

The Asia-Pacific region is expected to see the second-fastest growth rate. Improving IT infrastructure, demand for affordable healthcare, and favorable government norms are expected to boost the growth of healthcare AI in the region.

Originally published in HIT Infrastructure by Fred Donovan on July 02, 2019