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

Marking its 10th anniversary, Philips' Future Health Index report underscores the challenges currently facing healthcare systems, proposes innovative technologies to address them, and offers insights into future directions. This year’s report surveyed more than 1,900 healthcare professionals and over 16,000 patients across 16 countries, including Korea, highlighting the “Trust gap between patients and healthcare providers regarding healthcare AI.”

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.

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%).

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.

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%).

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.

The full text of Philips' "Future Health Index 2025 Report" can be found on the official website. (http://www.philips.co.kr/futurehealthindex-2025)

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