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While they see potential benefits, employees, employers, and occupational health professionals (OHPs) voice some concerns about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in occupational healthcare, reports a qualitative study in the May issue of the
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Max Tijmen Tijhuis, MSc, of HumanTotalCare BV and Amsterdam UMC and colleagues performed a series of 23 interviews with key stakeholders — OHPs, employers, and employees — regarding their attitudes, needs, and expectations toward using AI tools in occupational healthcare. On thematic analysis, five key themes emerged:
- Skepticism about the feasibility of AI use. Participants expressed concerns about the loss of "human touch": they felt that while AI might assume some tasks, fully replacing OHPs "would not be advisable due to the lack of human interaction." They also raised concerns about the privacy and security of employee data and the usefulness of AI predictions of sickness absence, particularly due to mental illness.
- Perceived benefits of AI. Stakeholders acknowledged the potential value of AI tools to increase efficiency and decrease time spent on administrative tasks. Some raised concerns that the time invested in using AI would not be justified by the quality of the outcomes delivered.
- Chances for improving quality of care. The use of AI tools to predict sickness absence was viewed as a possible means of preventing work-related illnesses. Other perceived benefits included shorter waiting times and providing more tailored occupational healthcare.
- Reservations due to unfamiliarity. While some participants expressed reservations influenced by previous experience with non-AI tools. In contrast, others said the interview process made them think more deeply about the topic. All groups emphasized the need for transparency and explainability in how AI tools process personal data.
- Need for clarity about actionable perspectives. Interviewees were concerned that AI predictions about future sick leave might become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" — perhaps even leading to increased absenteeism. Although employers were concerned that employees would not be interested in such predictions, several employees said the predictions might provide a "motivational trigger" for positive health changes.
While previous studies have explored attitudes toward the application of AI in general healthcare, the new report is among the first to focus on the unique concerns of occupational healthcare. Stakeholder interviews emphasized the need for "clear, actionable perspectives" on how AI tools would be used in everyday practice.
"Future research should explore these actionable perspectives, ensuring that approaches are acceptable to all stakeholders and maximizing their potential to improve health outcomes," Mr. Tijhuis and coauthors conclude.
Because stakeholders' views on AI in occupational healthcare are still evolving, the authors recommend "a longer period of co-creation with these stakeholders when developing AI tools for this field."
About the Author
Mr. Tijhuis may be contacted for interviews at m.tijhuis(at)humantotalcare.nl.
Read more here:
https://journals.lww.com/joem/abstract/2026/05000/attitudes,_needs,_and_expectations_regarding_the.1.aspx