From AI-generated health information to medication action: Trust, risk recognition, and physician/pharmacist verification among university students
Cross-sectional survey of 504 University of Jordan students who had used AI for self-treatment or self-medication, tracing the path from AI output to medication behaviour and self-reported adverse effects. Substantial shares reported buying medication on AI advice without professional consultation, selecting antibiotics, experiencing adverse effects and changing physician instructions; trust was associated with more of these behaviours and professional verification with fewer.
Publisher
Artificial Intelligence in Health (AccScience Publishing); The University of Jordan
Published
13 Oct 2026
Added
3 days ago
Key Findings
- AI was the first source consulted for new symptoms by 36.5% of participants
- 42.5% reported purchasing medication after AI advice without consulting a physician or pharmacist (19.0% frequently); 20.0% selected antibiotics following AI-generated information
- 36.9% reported adverse effects after an AI-recommended medication; 35.7% modified physician instructions because of conflicting AI advice
- Per SD of trust/personalization, unconsulted purchasing aPR 1.49 (95% CI 1.33-1.66); risk recognition aPRs 0.73-0.80
- Physician/pharmacist verification (64.7%) was associated with less frequent unconsulted purchasing (aPR 0.57), adverse effects (aPR 0.78) and instruction modification (aPR 0.74)
Methodology Notes
Cross-sectional 39-item questionnaire, n=504 students with prior AI self-treatment use (selected sample, not prevalence of the student body); exploratory factor analysis; modified Poisson regression. Self-report; authors note causal attribution is precluded. Received 19 August 2026, published online 13 October 2026 (article page). Curator re-verified 2026-10-19 against the Crossref deposited abstract (created 2026-10-15).
Sources
Artificial Intelligence in Health article (doi.org/10.36922/aih026340121)(opens in a new tab) (primary)
Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine)(opens in a new tab) — preserved against link rot
Authors
Talal Aburjai, Ahmed S.A. Ali Agha, Lujain Nemer, Hayat Aljammal, Dalin Said, Natasha Osama Marji, Nadeen Al-Shwyiat, Abdel Aleem Bello
Tags
Cite This
APA
Talal Aburjai et al. (2026). From AI-generated health information to medication action: Trust, risk recognition, and physician/pharmacist verification among university students. Artificial Intelligence in Health (AccScience Publishing); The University of Jordan. https://accscience.com/journal/AIH/articles/online_first/9387