AI: Injecting intelligence into healthcare

AI is no longer a promise—it’s a reality being embraced by the healthcare industry

The Accenture Executive Survey on AI in Healthcare indicates that health executives show an encouragingly high enthusiasm for AI technology adoption. Interviews were conducted with executives in six European and Asia-Pacific countries. While enthusiastic about its benefits, the executives are appropriately cautious about which kinds of AI they’re adopting, and how they’re implementing it.

Current focus on increasing proportion of AI-assisted applications across six countries surveyed

To what extend is your organisation currently focused on increasing its proportion of AI-assisted applications?

Wisdom of the measured approach

While the popular press sensationalises AI somewhat, healthcare executives and organisations are more cautious. Operational areas, less likely to cause anxiety among patients and clinicians, are preceding more clinical, life-critical functions in terms of adoption. This approach shows wisdom and could help to limit the disappointment phase often present when new technologies are oversold to the market.

Value of AI

To what extent have you realised value in the following areas as a result of your application of AI?

Top three success factors most important to successful AI project implementation at surveyed organisations.

People skills matter most to AI success

Given the early successes and enthusiasm for AI among health executives, one may wonder why even more AI projects aren’t underway. A second important fact revealed by the survey is that people skills are the most important key to AI success, and insufficient skills represent the greatest obstacle to AI adoption and implementation.

Substantial versus transformative benefits

All polled areas (including clinical and patient experience) are expected to enjoy substantial benefits in the next three years, but significant transformative benefits during that time are likely to be limited to operational areas. Increased cybersecurity (45 percent of respondents), operational efficiency (33 percent), improved analytical capabilities (30 percent) and cost savings (21 percent), are the four areas expected to experience most transformational improvement.

To what extend do you expect to realise value from AI over the next three years?"-Substantial/Transformational benefit" responses