The trend: Healthcare providers rely most on search engines, followed by industry sources and AI tools for health condition and treatment information, according to a recent Assembled Intelligence white paper based on a survey of 150 US healthcare providers.

Assembled used a 1-7 scale, with scores above 5 indicating the most relied on sources.

• For frequency of use: Search rated 5.67, healthcare industry sources rated 5.14, and AI rated 4.71.
• For trust: Healthcare industry sources rated 5.52, search rated 4.89, and AI rated 4.85.

Why it matters: Healthcare providers’ trust in health information sources doesn’t always align with usage.

• For example, they use search engines most often, but rate medical industry sources as the most trusted. Search engines are a convenient starting point, but HCPs often rely on other sources they find there to validate information.
• HCPs most trust healthcare industry sources such as peer-reviewed journals like PubMed and the New England Journal of Medicine— not only for data, but also for decision-making.
• While AI is used less frequently, it ranks similarly to search for trust (both just below 5).
• AI is gaining traction as a valued tool, and some products are operating as medical literature search engines that surface information from peer-reviewed sources via partnerships like OpenEvidence and JAMA.

Implications for healthcare systems: Physicians’ leading information sources are converging. Search and healthcare industry sources have long been core tools, and AI is now capturing value from both.

For healthcare systems, the key takeaway is that HCPs already see AI as advantageous, despite trust levels. That means healthcare systems need to provide integrated AI tools that are plugged into the most current, evidence-based content—whether internal or through partnerships—to support their changing behaviors. If not, doctors may default to external AI and search systems, which limits healthcare systems’ visibility and control over accuracy and alignment with organizational protocols.

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