New Luth Research Study: AI Has Not Replaced the Patient Journey, It Has Reconfigured It

New Luth Research Study: AI Has Not Replaced the Patient Journey, It Has Reconfigured It

PR Newswire

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2026

Luth Research study finds a new class of "hybrid researchers" who use AI to start their health search but return to trusted health information sites to make care decisions

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Luth Research, a leader in consumer behavior and digital tracking research, today released findings from its AI Patient Journey Study. The study combined digital tracking of more than 1,500 consumers and a survey of over 500 patients to map how people move between AI tools, search engines, and health information sites. The headline finding: AI is not replacing how patients research their health, it is adding a new step to it. Roughly 80 percent of patients who use AI for health information use it alongside other sources, giving rise to a group Luth calls "hybrid researchers." Health information sites are their top companion source, used by 6 in 10 AI users.

The research shows a division of labor. Patients turn to AI first for speed and plain-language answers: 47 percent use it to explore a doctor's explanation more deeply, and 44 percent say askin...