The trend: The majority (86%) of healthcare professionals say AI affects their treatment decisions, although the degree of impact it has on their work varies widely, ranging from a significant effect to a slight one, per a recent DHC Group survey. It surveyed 100 healthcare professionals in Q2 2025 on the Sermo Realtime Network.

• 15% agreed AI has “significant impact” on their clinical decisions, while 32% say it has a “moderate impact.”
• 39% say AI has only a “slight impact” on treatment choices.
• 13% said AI has no effect on their decision making.

Zooming in: The healthcare professionals’ top three AI use cases were:

• Researching healthcare publications and literature when making healthcare decisions, named by 78%.
• Diagnostic verification, used by 46% as a safety net to confirm that test results and symptoms point to the correct clinical conclusion, per DHC.
• Summarizing and analyzing patient information, cited by 44% of healthcare professional respondents.

Why it matters: Though healthcare professionals are adopting AI tools, they maintain a healthy skepticism regarding clinical use and diagnoses.

• Two thirds (66%) of physicians used AI in 2024, up from 38% in 2023, per the American Medical Association, although the leading use (57%) was administrative tasks.
• However, 83% say when AI differs from their own assessment, they consider the information, but ultimately rely on their own judgment, per DHC.

Implications for pharma marketers: Healthcare professionals are open to more AI use in medical practice, but they still prefer it as a support tool.

Marketers should focus on advisory, not decision-making solutions that can help save physicians’ time and add clinical context. Tools that summarize research, surface clinical trial data, or help interpret complex tests can strengthen credibility and engagement.

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