Although AI holds the promise of improving clinician health, expanding clinical capabilities, and supporting clinical decision-making, adoption is outpacing the readiness of health systems to integrate these tools.
According to a Royal Philips report, most healthcare workers (72%) turn to personal AI tools when the options provided by the healthcare system do not meet their needs.
“This suggests that clinician demand for AI is changing rapidly, sometimes faster than organizations can respond, as healthcare professionals use publicly available tools alongside those provided by organizations,” the report states.
This report is based on two surveys conducted between February and April 2026. One study was conducted among 202 U.S.-based medical professionals and the other among 2,000 U.S. patients.
AI improves clinician workflow and health
This report revealed the extent to which AI is reshaping clinical workflows. Approximately 52% of healthcare workers are using AI to transcribe notes, 46% as a “sidekick” to discuss work-related ideas, 45% to suggest diagnoses based on patient symptoms, and 44% to identify dangerous drug combinations.
In general, medical experts are optimistic about the adoption of AI in healthcare. A majority (84%) believe AI can improve patient outcomes, and approximately 27% said AI helped identify or prevent potential medical errors at least three times in the past three months.
Additionally, 58% said AI has given them more confidence in clinical decision-making, and 54% said technology has increased the speed of decision-making. More than half (58%) reported improved workflow efficiency with AI.
Not only that, but nearly one-third of healthcare workers say AI has improved their work-life balance (35%) and reduced stress (36%). Almost half (49%) reported saving an average of 132 hours per year and having the freedom to stay on top of research and clinical developments (61%).
Additionally, 36% of healthcare professionals said AI has improved their ability to see more patients.
Health systems struggle to keep up with adoption
According to the report, AI adoption is happening faster than health systems are ready to integrate these tools. Almost three-quarters (72%) of healthcare workers use personal AI tools when healthcare system-approved tools are insufficient.
Additionally, medical experts say there are gaps in training for AI. Most (77%) said training for AI-enabled tools is unavailable, limited, or inconsistent. They highlighted an urgent need for support in confirming the accuracy of AI recommendations (63%), developing technical navigation skills (53%), and understanding legal responsibilities (52%).
A majority of healthcare professionals (93%) say it is essential to keep humans up-to-date on the use of AI, citing concerns about potential errors (76%), inconsistent performance across clinical settings (70%), and lack of transparency in AI recommendations (67%).
AI improves patient preparedness, but misinformation persists
Additionally, the report shows that AI is enabling patients to take a more active role in their care. Almost half of patient respondents said AI tools allow them to ask better questions of their doctor (47%), feel more informed about their health (45%), and get the most out of their appointments (41%).
Most healthcare professionals (67%) say AI-enabled patients will become an integral part of the healthcare team in the future. But AI-generated misinformation is causing problems. 65% of healthcare professionals said they had to modify it and it took time away from more urgent patient care procedures during their visits.
Still, 72% of healthcare professionals say the benefits of AI already outweigh the risks.
By connecting disparate workflows to build AI ecosystems, investing in role-specific AI training, and redesigning care to include AI-enabled providers and patients, health systems can provide more personalized and enhanced care, the report says.
Anuja Vaidya has been covering the healthcare industry since 2012. Currently, he is responsible for healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHR, and interoperability.
