Healthcare leaders stress evidence, trust in AI adoption

Healthcare and education leaders in the Philippines are emphasizing the need for evidence, transparency and human oversight as healthcare institutions explore the use of artificial intelligence in clinical practice and medical education.

The call came during a recent Manila workshop hosted by Wolters Kluwer, where participants discussed how AI can help address challenges in healthcare while ensuring that technology does not replace professional judgment.

The discussion comes as the Philippines continues to face gaps in its healthcare workforce. The country has approximately four doctors per 10,000 people, below the World Health Organization benchmark of 10, while only two of the country’s 17 regions meet the recommended doctor-to-population standard, according to the information provided by Wolters Kluwer.

The EDCOM II Report 2026 also identified a nationwide shortfall of approximately 290,000 healthcare professionals.

These gaps, combined with the uneven distribution of healthcare workers, can contribute to longer waiting times, heavier workloads for clinicians and unequal access to services between urban and provincial communities.

As healthcare organizations consider AI solutions, the workshop highlighted the importance of knowing the source of information generated by such systems, determining whether it is based on current evidence and allowing healthcare professionals to independently evaluate the information.

“Artificial intelligence has significant potential to support healthcare professionals, but its value ultimately depends on the quality and reliability of the information behind its responses. A key challenge with generative AI in healthcare is ensuring that clinicians can understand where information comes from, whether it reflects current evidence, and whether it can be independently evaluated,” said Hong Nguyễn, regional director for APAC at Wolters Kluwer.

“Technology should be grounded in the best available evidence and used alongside the clinician’s expertise, experience, and professional judgment. Healthcare professionals must continue to critically assess information and understand the sources behind it. We believe AI can help make trusted knowledge more accessible, but it should strengthen, not replace, clinical judgment,” Nguyễn added.

During the workshop, Wolters Kluwer presented UpToDate Expert AI, a generative AI experience built on evidence-based medical content from UpToDate.

The tool allows healthcare professionals to ask questions in natural language and review AI-generated responses alongside supporting UpToDate content. Its design provides visibility into the medical information behind responses so users can review and assess the supporting evidence.

Wolters Kluwer said the tool is intended to support clinical learning, review and reasoning rather than replace the judgment of healthcare professionals.

Several healthcare organizations in the Philippines are evaluating the use of evidence-grounded generative AI to improve access to medical knowledge. Publicly announced organizations include The Medical City, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center and Makati Medical Center.

More than 45 institutions in the Philippines, including hospital sites, medical schools and the Department of Health, use Wolters Kluwer clinical solutions for medical education and evidence-based practice, according to the company.