AI moves into the Treatment Room as Doctors and Patients embrace Transformative Technology, EY–RCPI Study Finds
The first-ever Irish research on the use of Artificial Intelligence in clinical practice finds that AI has rapidly moved into the mainstream of healthcare in Ireland. The joint study by EY and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) finds that 58% of doctors reported using AI in clinical practice within the last year, more than one in five (22%) of these daily, while one in three (32%) report encountering patients presenting with AI-generated information in the previous month.
This inaugural EY and RCPI Physician Survey on AI in Healthcare draws on responses from 516 physicians based in Ireland across a broad range of specialties and career stages. The research points to a profession that has moved beyond early experimentation to become a routine tool for a rapidly increasing number of doctors in Ireland, rather than a technology they are still getting to know. The use of AI in clinical practice varied by age group with the 50-64 year old age group interestingly the most likely to report usage (64%), ahead of 35-49 years (63%), 20-34 (49%) and 65 years or older (38%).
Generative AI tools are at the heart of current adoption, with 86% of AI-using physicians reporting their use. Doctors are applying GenAI across a range of clinical and administrative tasks: suggesting differential diagnoses (42%), identifying treatment options (38%), generating post-consultation documentation (23%) and summarising patient histories (20%). This pattern reflects broader international trends where accessible, general-purpose AI tools are being woven into everyday clinical workflows, often ahead of formal governance, training or clinical implementation structures.
Optimism tempered by some concerns
Doctors are broadly positive about what AI can deliver. 70% describe themselves as somewhat or very optimistic about AI in healthcare, and there is strong agreement on its potential benefits including: improved documentation (80%), information gathering (77%), efficiency (76%) and diagnostic accuracy (68%). Yet this optimism sits alongside concern. Some 65% of respondents believe that AI increases the risk of data breaches, 59% worry physicians may become over-dependent on AI tools, and 27% believe AI may increase the risk of patient harm if not used with appropriate guidance and oversight.
This research also points to the disconnect between how widely AI is already in use and how well-prepared doctors feel to use it effectively. The research found 93% of respondents agreed that they will need more support and training in AI, and 86% believe they will need to be able to explain AI outputs to their patients. As AI tools take on a greater role in diagnosis, documentation, and decision making, the ability to interpret, validate, and communicate AI-generated outputs becomes a core clinical competency, for which, on the evidence of this survey, most doctors do not yet feel adequately equipped.
AI beginning to reshape the doctor-patient relationship
One of the most striking findings in the survey is the extent to which AI is already influencing how patients engage with healthcare. Of the doctors who responded to these questions (283), 32% reported seeing patients present with AI-generated information within the past month, and 16% reported patients attending based directly on AI advice. In addition, 64% of doctors believe patients will increasingly rely on AI before seeking care going forward.
These numbers point to a behavioural shift that extends beyond the clinical setting itself. As patients arrive at consultations having already engaged with AI tools, doctors are increasingly being asked to interpret, contextualise and, where necessary, challenge AI-generated information. This evolving dynamic has real implications for the doctor-patient relationship, for shared decision-making and for how clinical authority operates in an AI-enabled environment.
Dr Ronan Glynn, EY Ireland Partner and Health Sector Leader, said:
“This joint RCPI-EY research highlights how AI has already moved beyond experimentation and into everyday clinical practice in Ireland – on both the doctor and patient side. While doctors are embracing this technology, they are keenly aware of the need for guardrails and to keep a focus on patient safety, with a clear ask coming from doctors for more training and support to adapt these tools.
As AI increasingly shapes how patients seek information and engage with care, it also reinforces the need to think carefully about how clinical judgement, patient expectations and safety are supported in practice. Patients are increasingly turning to this technology - for example at 2am on a Tuesday night when they have a sick child - not instead of a doctor but to augment.
While the technology is still new and evolving it’s clear its impact on the clinical/patient relationship will only grow and as a profession doctors must prepare for this. In this context, the recently published AI for Care - The Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Healthcare in Ireland 2026-2030 - represents an important step in setting out how our health services can harness AI responsibly, ethically and safely to improve care for people across the country.”
Dr Diarmuid O’Shea, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, said:
“This research brings welcome insights and sharp focus to the critical need to provide practical supports to enable doctors to use AI responsibly so that we can continue to safeguard trust, clinical standards and patient safety in an increasingly digital health system. Used well, AI has the potential to strengthen patient care, clinical judgement and trust.
This will be increasingly important as our patients engage more with AI and require our support in navigating and understanding the vast amount of general information available to them. While AI has the capacity to empower patients to be informed participants in their care programme, it can never replace the importance of compassion, empathy and physical assessment in medicine.
We welcome the AI for Care Strategy and will continue to amplify the insights raised by our members and fellows across the world to inform the evolution of training, education and governance in relation to AI.”
Professor Catherine Quinlan, RCPI Clinical Lead for AI, said:
“Irish doctors are already working alongside AI tools in their daily practice. The question is no longer whether AI has a place in medicine but whether we have equipped our clinicians with the skills and frameworks to use it safely and well. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland sets the standards for clinical training and professional development. We must now help to set the standards for how doctors engage with, evaluate, and govern AI in health care.”
Implications for Ireland’s health system
The findings arrive at a moment when Ireland is advancing its AI for Care Strategy and the wider Digital for Care agenda. Together, these provide a framework for a more coordinated and structured approach to AI-enabled healthcare, and the survey results underline both the opportunity and the urgency.
AI is not a future technology in Irish healthcare. It is already in use and is influencing clinical decisions and patient behaviour. The priority now is to move from informal, ad hoc adoption to a more deliberate approach grounded in practical guidance for doctors, clear governance frameworks, meaningful investment in training, and a clear-eyed understanding of how AI is reshaping patterns of healthcare utilisation.
Ireland is well positioned to lead on this. The policy direction is right, and the clinical profession is engaged. The work that now needs to happen is translating that foundation into structured implementation for both the current workforce and the doctors of the future.
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