Wolters Kluwer Health has released the 2026 Future Ready Healthcare Survey Report, conducted with Ipsos, examining how patients and clinicians are adopting AI in healthcare. The findings reveal rapid uptake of AI tools alongside significant concerns about trust, governance, and accountability.
The survey shows that both patients and clinicians increasingly rely on AI for symptom checks and care decisions. However, worries about hallucinations, advertiser‑driven bias, deskilling, and weak governance remain prominent. Nearly three‑quarters of clinicians expressed concern about fabricated information, while 72% cited advertiser bias as a risk. Deskilling was identified by 74% of clinicians as a major issue, with many emphasizing the need for AI systems to show transparent reasoning.
Awareness of governance policies remains low, rising only modestly from 21% in 2025 to 27% in 2026. Respondents indicated that healthcare organizations must strengthen governance frameworks and improve communication about AI use. Accountability also emerged as a key issue, with 75% of patients worried about responsibility if AI contributes to harm during care.
Despite these risks, optimism persists. Seventy percent of patients and clinicians believe AI can improve health literacy and engagement. The survey found that nearly one in three patients consider AI explanations clearer than traditional health websites, and almost one in five said AI provides faster answers than waiting for a clinician. During medical appointments, more than half of clinicians reported reviewing AI information provided by patients, reflecting its growing role in care discussions.
Greg Samios, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health, noted that the findings highlight both opportunities and challenges in integrating AI into healthcare. He emphasized the importance of establishing guardrails to ensure safe and effective use. Peter Bonis, MD, Chief Medical Officer, added that patients and clinicians are aligned in demanding human validation of AI‑generated content, underscoring the need to keep experts involved in the care process.
The report concludes that while AI adoption is accelerating, healthcare leaders must address the trust gap by implementing visible governance, ensuring transparency, and reinforcing the role of human expertise in clinical decision‑making.
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