More than one-in-five use AI daily, but majority want more education on the transformative tool
Almost six-in-ten doctors say they have used AI in clinical practice, with clinicians in their fifties and early sixties the most likely to use the new technology, according to a new survey.
Of more than 500 respondents, 58 per cent said they have used AI in their work in the last 12 months, with 22 per cent saying they use it daily.
The use of AI in clinical practice varied by age group with 50–64-year-olds the most likely to report usage (64 per cent), ahead of those aged 35-49 (63 per cent), 20-34 (49 per cent) and 65 or older (38 per cent).
However, doctors also expressed concerns around the new technology. Around two-in-three (65 per cent) said that AI increases the risk of data breaches. Just under six-in-ten (59 per cent) worry that physicians may become over-dependent on AI tools, while 27 per cent believe AI may increase the risk of patient harm if not used with appropriate guidance and oversight.
The findings were published as part of a study by EY and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI).
“This joint RCPI-EY research highlights how AI has already moved beyond experimentation and into everyday clinical practice in Ireland – on both the doctor and patient side,” said EY Ireland Partner and Health Sector Leader Dr Ronan Glynn.
“While doctors are embracing this technology, they are keenly aware of the need for guardrails and to keep a focus on patient safety, with a clear ask coming from doctors for more training and support to adapt these tools.”
Of the 283 doctors who responded to questions about patients using AI, 32 per cent said they had seen patients present with AI-generated information within the past month, and 16 per cent reported patients attending based directly on AI advice.
Almost two-in-three doctors (64 per cent) believe patients will increasingly rely on AI before seeking care going forward.
“As AI increasingly shapes how patients seek information and engage with care, it also reinforces the need to think carefully about how clinical judgement, patient expectations and safety are supported in practice,” added Dr Glynn.
“Patients are increasingly turning to this technology – for example at 2am on a Tuesday night when they have a sick child – not instead of a doctor but to augment.
“While the technology is still new and evolving it’s clear its impact on the clinical/patient relationship will only grow and as a profession doctors must prepare for this.
“In this context, the recently published AI for Care – The Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Healthcare in Ireland 2026-2030 – represents an important step in setting out how our health services can harness AI responsibly, ethically and safely to improve care for people across the country.”
Of those who said they have used AI, 86 per cent said that generative AI (GenAI) was the tool they had adopted. Doctors are applying GenAI across a range of clinical and administrative tasks: suggesting differential diagnoses (42 per cent), identifying treatment options (38 per cent), generating post-consultation documentation (23 per cent) and summarising patient histories (20 per cent).
Seven-in-ten describe themselves as somewhat or very optimistic about AI in healthcare, and there is strong agreement on its potential benefits including: improved documentation (80 per cent), information gathering (77 per cent), efficiency (76 per cent) and diagnostic accuracy (68 per cent).
However, 93 per cent of respondents said that they will need more support and training in AI, and 86 per cent believe they will need to be able to explain AI outputs to their patients.
“The question is no longer whether AI has a place in medicine but whether we have equipped our clinicians with the skills and frameworks to use it safely and well,” said, RCPI Clinical Lead for AI Prof Catherine Quinlan.
“The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland sets the standards for clinical training and professional development. We must now help to set the standards for how doctors engage with, evaluate, and govern AI in health care.”
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