Self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward artificial intelligence in pediatric healthcare in a children’s hospital in China: a cross-sectional study
- 1Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children’s Medical Center), College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatric healthcare in a children’s specialty hospital, and to compare differences between the two groups.
Methods: This single-center cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted at Fujian Children’s Hospital from January 2026 to June 2026. A self-designed questionnaire was used to assess healthcare workers’ and caregivers’ self-reported understanding, trust, risk perception, and willingness to accept AI applications in pediatric healthcare. Respondents were divided into groups according to their identity. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, while continuous variables were compared using the independent-samples t test or the Mann–Whitney U test.
Results: A total of 261 respondents were included, comprising 159 caregivers and 102 healthcare workers. Healthcare workers had a higher level of self-reported understanding and a higher frequency of use of AI applications in pediatric healthcare than caregivers ( p < 0.01); however, they also showed stronger perceptions of data security risks ( p < 0.001). Caregivers reported greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making than healthcare workers ( p < 0.001). Most respondents believed that AI could not replace pediatric healthcare workers, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups ( p = 0.166). Regarding potential advantages, healthcare workers were more likely to agree that AI could reduce human error ( p < 0.001). Regarding potential limitations, healthcare workers expressed greater concern about the risks of misdiagnosis, lack of humanistic care, and data privacy and security issues ( p < 0.001).
Conclusion: In this single-center children’s specialty hospital, healthcare workers reported greater self-rated understanding and more frequent use of AI, together with stronger awareness of several potential risks, whereas caregivers showed greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making despite lower self-rated understanding. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger multicenter studies before being generalized to broader populations in China.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026selfreported,
title = {{Self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward artificial intelligence in pediatric healthcare in a children’s hospital in China: a cross-sectional study}},
author = {Si-Yu Chen and Li Yang and Qi-Gang Ding and Dong-Xin Huang and Qiu-Yu Tang and Xue Kong},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1951776},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1951776/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward artificial intelligence in pediatric healthcare in a children’s hospital in China: a cross-sectional study
AU - Si-Yu Chen
AU - Li Yang
AU - Qi-Gang Ding
AU - Dong-Xin Huang
AU - Qiu-Yu Tang
AU - Xue Kong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1951776
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1951776/full
AB - Objective: To investigate the self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatric healthcare in a children’s specialty hospital, and to compare differences between the two groups. Methods: This single-center cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted at Fujian Children’s Hospital from January 2026 to June 2026. A self-designed questionnaire was used to assess healthcare workers’ and caregivers’ self-reported understanding, trust, risk perception, and willingness to accept AI applications in pediatric healthcare. Respondents were divided into groups according to their identity. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, while continuous variables were compared using the independent-samples t test or the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: A total of 261 respondents were included, comprising 159 caregivers and 102 healthcare workers. Healthcare workers had a higher level of self-reported understanding and a higher frequency of use of AI applications in pediatric healthcare than caregivers ( p < 0.01); however, they also showed stronger perceptions of data security risks ( p < 0.001). Caregivers reported greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making than healthcare workers ( p < 0.001). Most respondents believed that AI could not replace pediatric healthcare workers, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups ( p = 0.166). Regarding potential advantages, healthcare workers were more likely to agree that AI could reduce human error ( p < 0.001). Regarding potential limitations, healthcare workers expressed greater concern about the risks of misdiagnosis, lack of humanistic care, and data privacy and security issues ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: In this single-center children’s specialty hospital, healthcare workers reported greater self-rated understanding and more frequent use of AI, together with stronger awareness of several potential risks, whereas caregivers showed greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making despite lower self-rated understanding. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger multicenter studies before being generalized to broader populations in China.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -