Adults Prefer Messages Written by AI in Communication With Doctors
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 13, 2025 -- Adults express a mild preference for messages written by artificial intelligence (AI) versus humans in patient-clinician communication, but they have higher satisfaction with a human disclosure, according to a study published online March 11 in JAMA Network Open.
Joanna S. Cavalier, M.D., from the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues conducted a survey study involving adults aged 18 years or older to analyze patient preferences regarding use of AI in patient-clinician electronic messaging. The impact of different factors was assessed in multiple surveys, including response author, disclosure (notification of AI use), and seriousness of the topic. A total of 2,511 adults were surveyed; 1,455 responded.
The researchers found that participants preferred AI- versus human-drafted responses, with a mean difference of −0.30, −0.28, and −0.43 points for satisfaction, usefulness, and perception they were cared for, respectively. Participants tended to have higher satisfaction with a human versus an AI disclosure (mean difference, 0.13 points) and with no disclosure over AI authorship disclosure (mean difference, 0.09 points). More than 75 percent of respondents were satisfied with the response, regardless of author or disclosure type.
"Our study shows us that patients have a slight preference for messages written by AI, even though they are slightly less satisfied when the disclosure informs them that AI was involved," Cavalier said in a statement.
One author disclosed receiving fees from Triomics.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
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