76% of NHS staff support AI use in patient care – new poll
Health Foundation poll published today shows that more than three-quarters of the 1,292 NHS staff surveyed favour using AI in patient care, with 81% supporting its use in admin.
In one of the largest surveys of its kind, independent charity the Health Foundation also polled 7,200 nationally representative members of the UK public aged 16 and over. By comparison with NHS staff, this sample was less enthusiastic but still broadly supportive of the use of AI in health care: 54% support its use in patient care and 61% in admin.
Photo by Possessed Photography
There’s a lot of interest at the moment in the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve care and ease pressures on the NHS. Last month, for example, we reported on a US study concluding that AI doctors ‘significantly’ improve hospital patient outcomes. Last year we reported on pioneering AI diagnosis of conditions such as lung cancer.
The new poll sought to understand current attitudes to and concerns about the use of AI in health care, and follows the Health Foundation’s call for a dedicated strategy for AI in health care. While noting the support for this kind of technology, the survey also found that a significant minority of respondents do not support the use of AI at all. Indeed, 11% of NHS staff and 18% of the public who took part in the survey thought AI would worsen the quality of care.
The poll also highlights that, compared to other age groups, those aged 16-24 were less likely to believe that AI will improve care quality; women were less likely to favour AI than men.
A key concern of those surveyed was the potential impact of AI on the interpersonal aspects of health care. Some 65% of NHS staff surveyed thought AI would make them feel more distant from their patients, and 53% of the public thought AI would make them more distant from NHS staff.
The accuracy of decision-making was also a key concern: 30% of the public taking part in the survey thought a main disadvantage of using AI was that health care staff wouldn’t question its outputs and might miss errors made.
Overall, 57% of NHS staff agreed that they looked forward to using AI in their work – though 17% disagreed. Medical and dental staff tended to be more positive than other clinicians such as health care assistants and support workers.
Tim Horton, Assistat Director for Insight & Analysis at the Health Foundation, says: ‘ Interest is growing rapidly in the potential of artificial intelligence to improve health care, and while it is not a panacea, it could play a significant role in helping to ease NHS pressures and support the workforce.
‘Capitalising on the potential of AI will require a dedicated strategy to create agreement on priorities and provide greater direction for the NHS and industry. And engaging people in decisions about how AI should be used must be at the heart of this.
‘If AI is to be accepted, and the benefits fully realised, it will have to command the confidence of patients, the public and NHS staff. The Health Foundation’s research suggests the public and NHS staff, on balance, support the use of AI for clinical and administrative purposes. But some remain unconvinced, and so it’s crucial to engage people in a conversation about the future of health care – in order to understand and address their concerns.
‘It’s clear the public want a human to remain ‘in the loop’ for many uses of AI in health care, and they want AI technologies to be designed and used in ways that protect the human dimension of care. Our research also suggests the impact of AI will be felt differently across roles in health care, and so in helping staff adjust to the rise of AI, policy makers and NHS leaders will need to tailor the support they provide.’
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