The Extent of Utilization, Perception and Level of Satisfaction in the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Self-Diagnosis and Self-Medication Among Saint Mary’s University Health-Science Students

This study investigates the extent of utilization, perception, and satisfaction in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in self-diagnosis and self-medication within health-related fields. It specifically explores how AI contributes to addressing individual health problems, enhancing healthcare quality, and potentially reducing overall healthcare costs. The research involved 140 respondents from three distinct healthcare programs who completed assessments over two weeks. The study aimed to understand not only the frequency of AI use but also users’ attitudes and satisfaction levels, providing a complete view of AI’s impact on personal healthcare management. Findings revealed that despite the growing presence of AI technologies, utilization remains low among participants. Additionally, perceptions were generally negative, highlighting concerns about reliability, accuracy, and accessibility. However, satisfaction levels were moderate, suggesting that those who do engage with AI tools recognize certain benefits. These results emphasize significant boundaries to an extensive adoption and indicate the need for improved education, trust-building measures, and proper technology integration to enhance AI’s role in healthcare and support more effective self-management of health conditions. Therefore, this study recommends that health institutions use these findings to guide ethical AI use in self-diagnosis and self-medication. For future research, it should include broader health courses, increase sample size, and explore significant differences in utilization, perception, satisfaction, and demographics related to AI tool use in healthcare education.