Healthcare workers enthusiastic about using GenAI, most firms not ready to adopt: Report

Healthcare professionals are excited about GenAI's potential to ease workforce shortages and streamline workflows. However, most organizations lack clear policies and training to implement it effectively. Concerns persist about AI eroding clinical decision-making and transparency in diagnoses. The report urges firms to adopt a cohesive strategy to harness GenAI's benefits.

"GenAI has the potential to be a powerful tool for supporting sustainability in healthcare organizations right now." – Greg Samios, Wolters Kluwer Health CEO

While healthcare professionals widely recognise the transformative potential of generative AI (GenAI) in solving sustainability problems, including the workforce crisis, most organisations are not yet ready to harness its full value, according to a report on Friday.

Key Points

1 80% of healthcare workers want GenAI for workflow optimization

2 Only 18% know their firm's GenAI policies

3 57% fear overreliance may harm clinical skills

4 55% worry about unclear AI-driven diagnoses

The new report from Wolters Kluwer Health identified strong enthusiasm for using GenAI to address the current challenges of workforce shortages, burnout, high healthcare costs, and rising administrative burdens, as well as keen interest in leveraging GenAI to achieve the next level of innovation and efficiency across the enterprise.

However, the data, based on a survey of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and administrators, showed a clear disconnect between what organisations say they want to achieve with GenAI and how prepared they are to deliver on that promise.

For example, the report showed that while 80 per cent of respondents cited “optimising workflows” as a top organisational goal, only 63 per cent feel prepared to use GenAI to do so.

“GenAI has the potential to be a powerful tool for supporting sustainability in healthcare organizations right now, as well as preparing them for a more efficient future,” said Greg Samios, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health.

“The challenge is developing a strategy that can both optimise the current state in a highly volatile environment and simultaneously equip organisations with the digital capabilities they need to remain competitive over the next several years. Right now, organisations are at risk of falling behind unless they take a more cohesive approach to making GenAI standardised, scalable, and impactful,” he added.

The report noted that GenAI-driven technologies are likely to be part of the solution for longstanding challenges, such as addressing the burdens of prior authorisations (67 per cent), electronic health record (EHR) management (62 per cent), cybersecurity preparedness (68 per cent), and supporting telehealth/virtual care programmes (65 per cent).

But only 18 per cent of survey respondents were aware of formal organisational policies governing GenAI use, and only one in five reported being required to take structured training.

As a result, more than half (57 per cent) believe that overreliance on GenAI may erode clinical decision-making skills. The report showed that 55 per cent are concerned that lack of transparency around GenAI’s potential role in making diagnoses could contribute to unclear reasoning behind patient-facing decisions.

https://www.newkerala.com/news/o/healthcare-workers-enthusiastic-using-genai-firms-not-ready-adopt-712