The trend: Physicians are ramping up use of AI for pharma-related queries on medications, treatments, and drug interactions. But usage of AI trails search, according to a new Bain & Company report.
- 57% of doctors turn to ChatGPT or another AI tool either frequently (30%) or occasionally (27%) for this purpose.
- 21% rarely use AI.
- HCPs rely more on search engines, however, with 94% using search either frequently (72%) or occasionally (22%).
Yes, and: Just 3% of doctors say AI is very impactful in their treatment decisions. That compares with 18% who cite search engines as an influential factor in patient care decision making. Healthcare provider respondents said that search engines can be as influential as drug sales reps in determining which medications to prescribe.
The big takeaway: Doctors trust search engines over AI for drug information—for now. The convergence of the two tools via AI Overviews on Google could lead to declining confidence in search results. Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) healthcare-related Google searches in May generated an AI Overview, per Bright Edge research. Some of these summaries produce inaccurate information.