AI posed to transform global healthcare

Abstract: All roads point to AI in the 10th annual Future Health Index from Royal Philips. According to a release, “patients want AI to work safely and effectively, reducing errors, improving outcomes, and enabling more personalized, compassionate care. Clinicians say trust hinges on clear legal and ethical standards, strong scientific validation, and continuous oversight. As AI reshapes healthcare, building trust is essential to delivering life-saving innovation faster and at scale.”

Health technology vendor Royal Philips has released its 10th annual Future Health Index (FHI) report, highlighting the growing strain on global healthcare systems. That is the bad news, but the good news for all ages especially for those in their 50s and above is that artificial intelligence (AI) advances have the potential to transform care delivery.

“The need to transform healthcare delivery has never been more urgent,” said Dr. Carla Goulart, the chief medical officer at Philips.

“In more than half of the 16 countries surveyed, patients are waiting nearly two months or more for specialist appointments, with waits in Canada and Spain extending to four months or longer. As healthcare systems face mounting pressures, AI is rapidly emerging as a powerful ally, offering unprecedented opportunities to transform care and overcome today’s toughest challenges.”

The FHI 2025 report reveals 33 per cent of patients have experienced worsening health due to delays in seeing a doctor, and more than one in four end up in the hospital due to long wait times. “Cardiac patients face especially dangerous delays, with 31 per cent being hospitalized before even seeing a specialist. Without urgent action, a projected shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030 could leave millions without timely care,” Dr. Peron added.

In addition, more than 75 per cent of healthcare professionals report losing clinical time due to incomplete or inaccessible patient data, with one-third losing over 45 minutes per shift, adding up to 23 full days a year lost by each professional.

“These inefficiencies amplify stress on already understaffed teams and contribute to burnout,” said Gretchen Brown, a registered nurse and chief nursing information officer at Stanford Health Care. “Recognizing this, as clinicians, we see AI as a solution and understand that delayed adoption can also carry major risks.”

Of the nearly 2,000 healthcare professionals surveyed, if AI is not implemented:

• 46 per cent fear missed opportunities for early diagnosis and intervention
• 46 per cent cite growing burnout from non-clinical tasks
• 42 per cent worry about an expanding patient backlog

According to a release, “patients want AI to work safely and effectively, reducing errors, improving outcomes, and enabling more personalized, compassionate care. Clinicians say trust hinges on clear legal and ethical standards, strong scientific validation, and continuous oversight. As AI reshapes healthcare, building trust is essential to delivering life-saving innovation faster and at scale.”

Shez Partovi, chief innovation officer at Philips, said that in order to realize the full potential of AI, regulatory frameworks must evolve to balance rapid innovation with robust safeguards to ensure patient safety and foster trust among clinicians.

He predicts that  within five years,  the technology “could transform healthcare by automating administrative tasks, potentially doubling patient capacity as AI agents assist, learn, and adapt alongside clinicians. To that end, we must design AI with people at the center—built in collaboration with clinicians, focused on safety, fairness, and representation—to earn trust and deliver real impact in patient care.”

Two quantitative surveys were carried out among over 1,900 healthcare professionals and over 16,000 patients in 16 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States). The surveys were conducted from December 2024 to April 2025.