New Study Finds AI Adoption Accelerating Among Health Care Providers Despite Lack of Trust and Safeguards

Survey shows that more than 70% of health care professionals use AI in their practice, and among that, nearly half (48%) use AI for clinical decision support.

THOROFARE, NJ, UNITED STATES, June 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Seventy percent of U.S. health care professionals (HCPs) are currently using AI in their practice, despite persistent concerns about trust, protocols and safeguards according to a new report from Healio, a leading medical communications and media company.

The new report surveyed more than 600 HCPs in the U.S. about their attitudes and use of AI at work and found that while the most common uses are documentation, note generation and research and literature review, 48% of regular AI users also use it for clinical decision support.

Trust is Low but not a Deterrent

Trust in AI remains a concern for many, yet those who have little trust in AI still use it regularly in clinical practice. According to the survey, more than one-third (34%) of HCPs have low or very low trust in AI. Even among that population, almost half (44%) still use AI in their practice at least occasionally. Further, of respondents who said they use AI for clinical decision making, 16% also report low and no trust in AI tools.

“The fact that so many health care professionals are turning to AI even in the absence of trust in the products they’re using shows how pervasive it is,” said Joan-Marie Stiglich, ELS, Chief AI Officer for Healio. “As leaders in medical news and information, we feel a great deal of responsibility to help HCPs choose reliable tools and feel confident they are getting accurate and actionable results, especially when it influences clinical decisions.”

Most HCPs Use AI Without Clear Organizational Support or Guardrails

As doctors increasingly turn to AI, health and hospital systems lack clear guidance for HCPs on what tools to use and how to use it in clinical care. A majority of respondents – nearly 70% – said their hospital, practice or health system supports use of AI, but among those, only 15% said their organization has clear and comprehensive policies. More than half (51%) said their policies are limited or evolving, and more than a quarter (28%) said they have no formal policies at all.

Surprisingly, 40% of HCPs at organizations that actively do not support AI are still using it in a professional capacity. According to the survey, those users are more likely to rely on commercially available, general-use AI platforms instead of industry-specific tools – 89% use ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot in a professional capacity, compared to 76% of those in AI-supportive organizations.

“Having clear understanding about what AI tools physicians can use, when to use them and how to ensure they provide the most current and accurate information is critical to preserving the trust between doctors and their patients,” said Hansa Bhargava, MD, Healio’s Chief Clinical Strategy and Innovation Officer. “In the absence of those guardrails, Healio is committed to advising our community of HCPs on AI self-governance so they can be more disciplined in how they use it.”

Majority of HCPs Feel Optimistic About AI’s Potential to Improve Health care

While AI use across the U.S. health care system is still evolving, most HCPs are optimistic about the value of AI for clinical care. More than two-thirds said AI has the potential to improve health care quality, and 47% believe AI will improve access to care. Still, many worry about AI accuracy (70%), legal liability (59%) and overreliance on technology (59%), among other concerns.

In 2025, Healio, a leader in health information and news, introduced Healio AI, a free, HIPAA-compliant AI tool designed specifically for HCPs who rely on fast, verified insights from research, data and expert perspectives. Updated daily, Healio AI gives HCPs the latest intelligence they need to make evidence-based decisions at the point of care.

Healio AI sources PubMed-indexed research, currently enrolling clinical trials, an extensive drug database, peer-reviewed studies, FDA data, Healio’s proprietary daily news feed – including more than 60,000 pieces of trusted editorial content – and coverage from more than 140 medical meetings worldwide. HCPs can use the tool at the point of care to deliver evidence-based answers to patient questions and access relevant clinical research and expert analysis on medical conditions, diagnostics and treatment. This tool aims to augment diagnosis, with the potential to accelerate treatment timelines.

“As with all industry applications, AI is a game changer in health care, but the stakes in medicine are higher,” Bhargava said. “Our priority is to help health professionals navigate this sea of change ethically and responsibly, protect the delicate trust between doctors and patients, and preserve and promote the irreplaceable value these highly trained experts bring to the practice of medicine.”

Methodology

Healio surveyed 618 U.S. health care professionals between March 16 - April 1, 2026 on the Qualtrics, LLC survey platform. Physicians (52%) made up over half of the respondents, along with clinical and non-clinical physicians. Participants represented a range of practice settings including private practice (45.1%), academic, medical centers (21.4%), and community hospitals (19.9%) with diverse experience levels from early career to those with more than 30 years of experience. Respondents were also geographically distributed across six U.S. regions.

To download the full report, visit: https://www.healio.com/special-reports/the-ai-trust-gap-in-health-care

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About Healio
Healio is a multichannel information platform, providing health care specialists with tailored news, information and education across 20+ specialties in support of their daily practice of medicine. Healio offers its core News, CME, Clinical Guidance and Community channels, plus the all-new Healio AI tool providing evidence-based intelligence at the point of care. For more information, visit Healio.com.

Lee Gaymon
Healio
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