Patient apprehensions about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare

Jordan P Richardson; Cambray Smith; Susan Curtis; Sara Watson; Xuan Zhu; Barbara Barry; Richard R Sharp

doi:10.1038/s41746-021-00509-1

Patient apprehensions about the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare

NPJ Digit Med. 2021 Sep 21;4(1):140. doi: 10.1038/s41746-021-00509-1.

Authors

Jordan P Richardson¹, Cambray Smith¹, Susan Curtis¹, Sara Watson¹, Xuan Zhu², Barbara Barry², Richard R Sharp³

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rocheste, MN, 55905-0002, USA.
² Kern Center for the Science of Healthcare Delivery, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rocheste, MN, 55905-0002, USA.
³ Biomedical Ethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rocheste, MN, 55905-0002, USA. Sharp.Richard@mayo.edu.

Abstract

While there is significant enthusiasm in the medical community about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in healthcare, few research studies have sought to assess patient perspectives on these technologies. We conducted 15 focus groups examining patient views of diverse applications of AI in healthcare. Our results indicate that patients have multiple concerns, including concerns related to the safety of AI, threats to patient choice, potential increases in healthcare costs, data-source bias, and data security. We also found that patient acceptance of AI is contingent on mitigating these possible harms. Our results highlight an array of patient concerns that may limit enthusiasm for applications of AI in healthcare. Proactively addressing these concerns is critical for the flourishing of ethical innovation and ensuring the long-term success of AI applications in healthcare.