Wolters Kluwer Health has released a new installment of patient-focused insights from its 2026 Future Ready Healthcare survey. Titled AI and the Patient Experience, the new deeper analysis reveals significant contrasts among American patients’ views on healthcare AI that vary starkly by age, gender, and geography.
U.S. healthcare systems face staff shortages, rising patient volumes, and financial pressure. In 2026 alone, 60 U.S. hospitals have closed medical departments or ended services. AI could help support access to care, but limited patient trust remains a barrier. To scale AI effectively, healthcare and technology leaders must address patients’ concerns and build trust.
How are patients using AI to make healthcare easier to understand?
As AI adoption rates continue to rise, data show that patients are most willing to use AI for general medical research and informational tasks to help them better understand their health. In fact, more than half (54%) say they use AI to research side effects of medications or drug interactions. Similarly, 52% say they look up information to learn more about their diagnosis or condition. A smaller cohort (43%) uses AI to “decode their healthcare” by simplifying complex medical language or explaining what test results mean.
This uptake is influencing what actions patients take next. For example, one in four patients (26%) note they sought medical care sooner after using AI to research a potential symptom or condition. Interestingly, despite using AI to research possible health conditions, some patients opt to “leave AI at home”: women and baby boomers (aged 65 or older) are more likely to never bring that information into a doctor’s appointment, preferring to speak directly to a clinician without referencing AI-generated content.
Do patients trust AI with their Personal Health Information?
Patients’ willingness to use AI drops substantially if it requires personal data or protected health information (PHI). Three out of four patients (74%) say they worry about the privacy of their health information and 71% are worried about the sale of their PHI or having it leaked. These concerns are significantly higher for women (78%) than men (65%). More than four out five rural patients (83%) worry about PHI and data privacy, compared to 72% of urban and 66% of suburban patients.
These notable trust gaps may contribute to the low interest reported for using AI in common health-related matters. Only 30% would consider using AI to find a healthcare provider. One out of four patients (25%) say they would use an AI chatbot for emotional support. And fewer than one out of five (19%) say they feel comfortable using AI to navigate insurance coverage.
What do nine out of ten patients say is essential in medical answers from AI?
AI hallucinations are well known, and according to the Future Ready Healthcare data, 69% of patients say they are concerned by this possibility, with the number jumping to almost 80% for older Gen Z patients, aged 25-29.
The data also show that patients are not ready to replace human doctors’ clinical judgment with AI. Nine out of ten patients (89%) say it is very or somewhat important for AI-generated health responses to be validated by a human expert. Patients also want added safeguards. For example, 81% expect that AI tools their doctors use for making clinical decisions to be formally approved by their health system. A similar number of patients (78%) expect doctors to verify information generated from AI with other sources.
Interestingly, medical liability was also foremost on patients’ minds: for 75% of patients, their top-rated concern is who is responsible if an AI-generated recommendation is wrong, or results in harm.
Where is the healthcare AI confidence divide the greatest?
Patients’ confidence and willingness to use AI vary significantly by gender and geography. Among men, 81% are bullish on AI, saying they are extremely or somewhat confident in the reliability of AI-generated answers to health questions, compared with 66% of women. Confidence is also higher among urban patients at 82%, than among suburban patients at 72%, or rural patients at 65%.
The divide also extends to autonomous AI. For example, 84% of men are comfortable with AI handling appointment scheduling autonomously, compared with 74% of women. For autonomous AI making a diagnosis and recommending treatment, comfort falls to 61% among men and 36% among women.
The 2026 Future Ready Healthcare Survey Report is based on a nationally representative survey conducted by Ipsos (an independent market research firm) from March 11-14, 2026. A total of 355 healthcare professionals (203 doctors; 152 nurses) and 254 patients throughout the U.S. were recruited using online B2B and consumer panels.
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information solutions, software and services for professionals in healthcare; tax and accounting; financial and corporate compliance; legal and regulatory; corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2025 annual revenues of €6.1 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 21,100 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).
For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924961394/en/
Media gallery
