An independent study by Health Technology Consultancy Nuom found that while UK citizens are largely open to the innovative use of healthcare technology, Trust drops significantly if AI is involved in more personal aspects of care.
The study consulted 2,000 UK adults with opinions on the use of technology in healthcare, and was conducted in February this year.
The results were concluded as follows:
67% are pleased that technology will become more widely used in medicine if it frees experts to deal with those who need it most. Half of respondents (50%) are happy that AI is used to manage appointments, and only 29% trust AI to provide basic health advice. Only 15% trust AI to help support mental health through happy tools and apps.
Many people worry about the increased use of AI in healthcare
The growing acceptance of technology use in healthcare could link to the growing popularity of wearable devices and apps. The survey found that over two-thirds (67%) think that people can help them take responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
However, the results show the change in emotion when respondents were asked about AI. While they believe AI will help ease pressure on the UK health system, 61% still feel that there is no sufficient evidence to determine whether healthcare AI is reliable or reliable.
Emotions split when only half (50%) of respondents who felt satisfied with managing AI appointments and medical appointments reached a level of trust towards management tasks.
Can Tech really provide personalized healthcare?
The confidence in AI’s ability to provide personalized care remains low. When asked about which healthcare activities they trust AI will perform, only 19% of respondents said they were confident they relied on AI to provide personalized health advice based on their medical history.
Meanwhile, only 14% say they trust AI on behalf of doctor appointments for mild health issues through tools such as Chatbots.
Trusting AI is simply trusting AI to help mental health support through happiness tools and apps, one of the lowest levels of trust recorded in all AI healthcare applications.
Nuom’s managing partner Martin Sandhu explained:
“There is growing awareness that these tools can help individuals manage their well-being while at the same time helping them alleviate pressure on health services. However, the same openness has not been fully established when it comes to healthcare AI. Trust remains a major hurdle.”
Healthcare technology just keeps growing – can we trust it completely?
However, Sandhu believes that the better people understand how AI in healthcare works, the more adaptable they are.
He said: But it is not about replacing human care. It’s about strengthening it.
“Whether you manage appointments or support personalized health advice, AI can play a major role in making healthcare more efficient and accessible. Challenge? Without clear communication, these benefits are often lost to noise.”
As AI becomes more common in healthcare, it is important to build public trust. Tech providers need to be clear about how technology works and how it complements the care that people already rely on and communicates this in a transparent way.
As we have seen with other health technologies, when people understand the real value that AI can bring, they are much more likely to embrace it, especially as it helps to ease the burden on health services.
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