AI Is Reshaping How Patients Make Healthcare Decisions, Survey Finds
Key Takeaways:
- A majority of US patients now research their symptoms before deciding whether to book an appointment, with AI and search engines central to that process.
- Researchers frame the trend as a global one, driven less by the availability of technology than by mounting frustration with slow, fragmented care.
- The report urges providers to redesign care pathways and deploy their own AI tools to extend capacity and keep patients engaged.
Patients are researching before they reach the clinic
Patients are increasingly taking charge of their own healthcare with artificial intelligence and other digital tools, with 58% of US patients researching their symptoms before deciding whether to book an appointment, according to a new report from the ZS Impact Institute.
The report drew on insights from nearly 10,000 healthcare consumers and providers across the US, Germany and China. Researchers note that the shift is consistent across healthcare systems – a pattern they say points to a “broader breakdown in how patients seek and experience care globally.”
Search engines and AI have become first ports of call
The report found that self-directed research is now routine, and that people who turn to online tools tend to rate them highly. Thirty-seven percent of US respondents report using search engines for health information, 94% of whom find it helpful. Eighteen percent report using AI, and 89% of those describe it as helpful.
The behaviour extends well beyond pre-appointment research. Fifty-two percent of US patients report requesting specific medications, and 68% of providers report seeing an increase in patients requesting therapies by name.
For clinicians, that means fielding more informed – and increasingly AI-shaped – questions in the consulting room. Continuing professional development providers have begun to respond to the trend: the College of Contemporary Health, for example, offers a short CPD course, AI Essentials for GPs, developed to help doctors evaluate AI tools critically and respond with confidence when patients raise them.
Frustration, not just availability, is driving the shift
The report is explicit that the move towards AI “cannot be attributed to availability alone.” Instead, it reflects “growing consumer frustration with healthcare” – a frustration the survey data lays out in some detail.
Forty-five percent of US patients avoid seeing a doctor until they are already unwell, and 41% have not had a health check-up in three or more years. Thirty-six percent wait a year or more for a diagnosis. Once treatment begins, adherence falters: 29% do not take treatments as prescribed, and 54% stop treatments prematurely.
Access is part of the picture too. Thirty-eight percent of respondents report lacking a primary care doctor, and 30% say that diagnostic delays led to a worsening of their medical condition.
What the report recommends
Researchers set out a range of recommendations for leaders across pharma, payers, medtech and providers. For providers in particular, the report suggests redesigning care pathways and using AI to extend both capacity and continuity of care.
Jon Roffman, ZS principal and lead contributor, framed the challenge as one of a system struggling to keep pace with the people it serves.
“Patients are changing faster than the system designed to serve them,” Roffman said in a statement. “AI has put medical knowledge directly in patients’ hands, but the healthcare system still assumes patients will come to it first. That model has changed. Patients are more informed and empowered. To keep them engaged, the system must reduce friction with its own set of AI and technology tools to deliver more connected, supportive care.”
CCH insight
Patients are already walking into consultations with AI-shaped questions and specific therapies in mind. AI Essentials for GPs: Tools, Ethics and Everyday Applications is a three-hour, CPD-accredited short course – created by Prof. Mike Bewick and Dr Dipesh Naik – that gives doctors the frameworks to evaluate AI tools safely, meet NHS governance standards and know exactly what to say when a patient asks. It carries 3.5 CPD hours towards appraisal and revalidation.
Explore AI Essentials for GPs →
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Worldwide Use of Wearable Healthcare Technology Could Rise Nearly 42-Fold by 2050, Study Finds
Key Takeaways:
- Global use of wearable healthcare devices could rise almost 42-fold by 2050, reaching close to two billion units annually.
- Non-invasive continuous glucose monitors are projected to dominate the market, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all wearable healthcare devices by mid-century.
- Without changes in design and manufacturing, this growth could carry a substantial environmental cost, including rising carbon emissions, ecotoxicity, and electronic waste.
Rapid global expansion of wearable health technologies
The global use of wearable healthcare technologies is projected to increase dramatically by 2050, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers from Cornell University and the University of Chicago. The study estimates that annual consumption of wearable health devices could approach two billion units worldwide by mid-century, representing an almost 42-fold increase compared with current levels.
The analysis, published in the journal Nature, focuses on a range of wearable healthcare technologies, including continuous glucose monitors, electrocardiogram (ECG) devices, blood pressure monitors, and point-of-care ultrasound patches. While these technologies offer significant potential benefits for clinical monitoring and disease management, the researchers warn that their rapid expansion could come with a sizable environmental footprint if sustainability is not addressed early in the innovation process.
Environmental impact and carbon emissions
The researchers estimate that the projected global use of wearable healthcare devices could generate approximately 3.4 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year by 2050. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, the study raises concerns about increasing ecotoxicity and the accumulation of electronic waste associated with large-scale deployment of these devices.
China is expected to contribute the highest share of annual greenhouse gas emissions linked to wearable healthcare electronics by mid-century, followed by India. These projections reflect both population size and anticipated growth in access to digital health technologies, particularly in rapidly developing economies.
Life cycle assessment of wearable devices
To quantify environmental impacts, the researchers used a life cycle assessment approach, examining each stage of a device’s lifespan. This included raw material extraction, component manufacturing, device assembly, use during its operational life, and eventual disposal.
Their analysis found that a single wearable healthcare device can emit between 1.1 and 6.1 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent over its lifetime, depending on the type of device and its specific design characteristics. Differences in sensing technology, materials, power requirements, and expected duration of use all influenced the overall environmental burden.
Devices included in the analysis
Four representative wearable healthcare devices were assessed in detail:
- A non-invasive continuous glucose monitor
- A continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor
- A wearable blood pressure monitor
- A point-of-care ultrasound patch
These devices were selected based on their clinical relevance, diversity of sensing modalities, and representation of different stages of technological maturity within the wearable health sector.
Shifting market dynamics towards continuous glucose monitoring
At present, the wearable healthcare market is largely dominated by continuous ECG and blood pressure monitoring devices. However, the study projects a major shift in device usage patterns over the coming decades.
By 2050, non-invasive continuous glucose monitors are expected to account for approximately 72 percent of global wearable healthcare device use. Continuous ECG monitors are projected to represent 19 percent of usage, while blood pressure monitors are expected to make up around eight percent.
The researchers noted that by mid-century, annual global sales of non-invasive continuous glucose monitors alone could exceed current worldwide smartphone sales, which were estimated at 1.2 billion units in 2024.
Limited gains from bioplastics, greater potential from design changes
The study also explored potential strategies to reduce the environmental impact of wearable healthcare technologies. The researchers found that switching to recyclable or biodegradable plastics provides relatively limited environmental benefits when considered across the full device lifecycle.
In contrast, more substantial reductions in emissions could be achieved by replacing critical-metal conductors, optimising circuit architectures, and improving overall electronic design. Importantly, these changes could lower environmental impacts without compromising device performance or clinical functionality.
Supporting more sustainable digital health innovation
The researchers concluded that their engineering-based framework for assessing environmental impacts across a wearable device’s lifecycle could help guide more ecologically responsible innovation in next-generation healthcare electronics.
As wearable health technologies continue to expand rapidly across global healthcare systems, the study highlights the importance of integrating sustainability considerations into design, manufacturing, and scale-up processes from the outset, rather than treating environmental impact as a secondary concern.
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