Royal Philips has released its 10th annual Future Health Index (FHI) report, revealing increasing pressure on global healthcare systems. The FHI 2025 Report, the largest survey of its kind, captures the concerns of healthcare professionals and patients alike. While artificial intelligence (AI) shows promise in transforming care delivery, trust gaps threaten to slow progress just when innovation is critically needed.
"The need to transform healthcare delivery has never been more urgent," said Carla Goulart Peron, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Philips. In over half of the 16 countries surveyed, patients wait nearly two months or more for specialist appointments. In Canada and Spain, waits can extend to four months or longer. With healthcare systems under strain, AI is emerging as a key tool to help overcome these challenges.
Generative AI in Healthcare: More Than a Chatbot
Generative AI, popularized by tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, is already finding practical uses in medical settings. This technology can assist patients, clinicians, and hospital administrators. For example, patients might ask AI to explain why a doctor ordered an MRI and what the results mean.
The FHI 2025 report shows 33% of patients have experienced worsening health due to delays in doctor visits. Over 25% end up hospitalized because of long wait times. Cardiac patients are particularly vulnerable, with 31% hospitalized before seeing a specialist. These delays are alarming, especially with an expected shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030.
Efficiency and Burnout: The Role of AI
More than 75% of healthcare professionals report losing clinical time due to incomplete or inaccessible patient data. One-third lose over 45 minutes per shift, adding up to 23 full workdays annually per clinician. These inefficiencies increase stress and contribute to burnout.
Gretchen Brown, RN and Chief Nursing Information Officer at Stanford Health Care, points out that clinicians view AI as a solution. However, delayed adoption carries risks that could worsen the current situation.
- 46% of healthcare professionals worry that without AI, early diagnoses and interventions will be missed.
- 46% cite growing burnout from non-clinical tasks.
- 42% are concerned about increasing patient backlogs.
Trust Gaps Between Clinicians and Patients
Despite clinical optimism, a significant trust gap exists with patients. The report highlights that 34% more clinicians see the benefits of AI compared to patients. Trust is especially low among patients aged 45 and older. Even among clinicians involved in AI development, only 38% believe these tools meet real-world needs. Accountability remains unclear, with over 75% uncertain about liability for AI-related errors.
Data bias is another major concern. If not addressed, AI could worsen healthcare disparities.
Building trust requires education, transparency, rigorous validation, and including healthcare professionals in every stage of AI development. Patients want AI to reduce errors, improve outcomes, and enable more personalized and compassionate care. Clinicians stress the need for clear legal and ethical standards, strong scientific validation, and ongoing oversight.
Looking Ahead: AI’s Potential and Challenges
AI offers potential to automate administrative tasks and potentially double patient capacity by 2030 as AI systems assist clinicians more effectively. But success depends on designing AI with people at the center—collaborating with clinicians, focusing on safety, fairness, and representation.
Shez Partovi, Chief Innovation Officer at Philips, emphasizes that regulatory frameworks must evolve to balance innovation with safeguards that ensure patient safety and build trust among healthcare providers.
For healthcare professionals seeking to understand AI’s role and improve their skills, resources such as Complete AI Training’s latest AI courses offer practical guidance in this fast-changing field.
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