Philips releases ‘Future Health Index 2025 Korea report’… “Building trust in healthcare AI is the key challenge”

Patients are experiencing care delays, HCPs are losing clinical time

According to the report, Korea’s medical field is burdened by care delays and administrative inefficiencies. Fifty-three percent of patients in Korea have experienced delays in seeing a specialist, with an average waiting time of 40 days. Additionally, 91% of healthcare professionals reported losing clinical time due to incomplete or inaccessible patient data. Among them, 51% indicated that they lose more than 45 minutes per shift, amounting to over four weeks of work time lost per year per healthcare professional. 

Delivering better care for more people with AI

In this context, healthcare professionals are almost unanimous in their belief that, when implemented correctly, AI can help them reclaim valuable time by expanding capacity to serve more patients (92%), reducing wait times (91%), enabling accurate and timely medical interventions (89%), and automating repetitive tasks (85%). Furthermore, innovations in preventive care through AI-based predictive analytics and remote patient monitoring are expected to enable early interventions that save lives (90%), reduce acute or emergency medical treatments (86%), and lower hospitalization rates (84%).

Trust gap between healthcare professionals and patients regarding healthcare AI

There is a perception gap between healthcare professionals and patients regarding healthcare AI. While 86% of healthcare professionals in Korea believe that AI will improve patient outcomes, only 60% of patients responded positively. Patients expressed concern that increased adoption of technology would reduce face-to-face time with doctors (46%), while healthcare professionals were worried about the lack of clear legal responsibility in the event of AI errors (74%). Additionally, although 84% of healthcare professionals are involved in the development of new technologies, only 46% feel that these technologies are designed with their needs in mind.

Philips presents five key recommendations to build trust in healthcare AI among patients and professionals

This year’s report also explored what is needed to bridge the trust gap between patients and healthcare professionals regarding healthcare AI. Patients indicated that they would view AI more positively if it led to fewer mistakes (50%), reduced medical costs (43%), and helped improve their health (40%). On the other hand, healthcare professionals emphasized the need for clear guidelines on how to use AI and its limitations (39%), as well as well-defined legal responsibilities related to AI use (36%).

Lastly, Philips proposed the following as ways to build trust in healthcare AI: ▲Put people first in AI design, ▲Enhance human-AI collaboration, ▲Demonstrate efficacy and fairness, ▲Enable innovation with clear guardrails, and ▲Build strong cross-sector partnerships.

At the press conference, Brian Choi, Country Manager of Philips Korea, who presented the significance of the 10th anniversary of the Future Health Index Report and the key findings of the Korean report, said, “Building trust in medical AI accelerates innovation and delivers tangible benefits to both healthcare professionals and patients.” He added, “Philips will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure that AI is used responsibly and inclusively in the Korean healthcare sector.”

As the second speaker of the session, Dr. Kim Eun-kyung, Director of Yongin Severance Hospital at Yonsei University, introduced real-world examples of the hospital’s AI infrastructure in action. Dr. Kim shared specific outcomes showing improved patient satisfaction and enhanced work efficiency for medical staff through the implementation of AI solutions, and offered insights on the direction Korea’s medical field should take.

Dr. Kim emphasized, “The success of AI adoption depends more on building trust with healthcare professionals and patients than on the technology itself.” She added, “It is important to continuously share thoroughly validated clinical cases and clear evidence, as this creates a virtuous cycle that enhances both healthcare efficiency and patient satisfaction.”

Meanwhile, Philips is supporting the entire healthcare delivery system—including diagnosis, treatment, and clinical decision-making—through a variety of AI-powered healthcare solutions. By providing predictive analytics based on AI in key areas such as radiology, patient monitoring, and data management, Philips helps healthcare professionals make quicker and more accurate decisions. These solutions also contribute to optimizing hospital workflows, developing personalized treatment plans, and improving equipment operation efficiency, thereby accelerating digital transformation in the healthcare field.

- Survey- Survey Period: December 2024 – April 2025

- Countries Surveyed: 16 countries worldwide (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, United States)

- Respondents: 1,926 global healthcare professionals, 16,144 patients

- Methodology: Two quantitative surveys conducted using the CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) technique

- Research Agency: Accenture Song