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Attitudes toward AI in healthcare improve, but concerns remain

New survey results show that physicians are increasingly using AI for clinical documentation, but many indicate concerns about the use of AI in healthcare for diagnoses.

Hannah Nelson
By
Published: 27 Mar 2025

While physicians are increasingly adopting AI for clinical documentation and administrative use cases, concerns linger surrounding the use of AI in healthcare, according to data from EHR vendor Athenahealth's fourth annual Physician Sentiment Survey.

Conducted by the Harris Poll, the survey includes responses from 1,001 primary care and specialist physicians nationwide.

Among physicians currently using AI in their practice, 68% reported using it more frequently to generate clinical documentation over the past year. Respondents identified transcription services and capabilities (48%) as the most valuable AI use case, followed by streamlining administrative tasks (46%).

The survey found that fewer physicians believe AI is overhyped or unable to meet expectations -- 27% this year, down from 40% a year ago. Additionally, fewer physicians reported concern that AI is one more thing that would complicate healthcare -- 31% this year compared to 42% last year.

While sentiment toward AI has shifted, physicians still noted concerns about AI's role in healthcare delivery, with 61% of physicians indicating concern about AI leading to the loss of human touch. Further, 58% reported fear of overreliance on AI for diagnoses, and 53% cited the risk of improper diagnoses.

Desire for improved interoperability

The value of streamlined data exchange is clear, with 91% of physicians reporting that enhanced interoperability between information systems can drive patient outcomes. However, on a weekly basis, more than half of physicians reported frustration with the challenges of accessing clinical data about their patients from other providers. Additionally, 80% of physicians said the lack of interoperability between systems increases their stress levels.

Patient portals contribute to administrative burden

While patient portals are beneficial and even sometimes preferred by physicians, they also add to administrative burden, the survey found.

Seventy-three percent of physicians said that patient portals facilitate easy communication with their patients, and about three in five (61%) believe they have improved the overall quality of patient care. However, 83% believe that these portals contribute to their workload, and 68% said they felt overwhelmed with patient questions.

Overall improvements in physician job satisfaction

In addition to surveying physicians' use of emerging technologies, the survey assessed physicians' sentiment toward their profession. Notably, the number of physicians who are considering leaving the profession on a weekly basis has declined by 22% since last year, and two-thirds of physicians indicated that they look forward to coming to work each day.

"Improved physician sentiment year-over-year indicates that when tools and technology are designed to address physician's needs and improve their experience, we can have a tangible impact on the healthcare system -- increasing efficiencies for physicians and enabling better patient outcomes," said Nele Jessel, MD, chief medical officer at Athenahealth, in a press release. 

"AI is moving from hype to reality, and the data shows us that physicians are starting to see real benefits in alleviating administrative burden," Jessel added. "We must work to continue this momentum and ensure that the right tools and technology are built for, and available to, ambulatory care practices of all sizes."

Hannah Nelson has been covering news related to health information technology and health data interoperability since 2020.

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