Artificial Intelligence in Patient-Centered Care and Macro-, Meso-, and Micro-Level Determinants of Rehumanization and Dehumanization: Qualitative Interview Study

Abstract

Background: Patient-centered care remains a foundational principle of modern health care. The digital transformation of health systems has accelerated the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across diagnostic, predictive, and communicative functions, with implications for efficiency and clinical workflows. At the same time, AI integration raises concerns regarding transparency, equity, accountability, and trust, positioning it as a potential driver of both rehumanizing and dehumanizing dynamics in health care practice. Objective: This study examines how the adoption of AI in health care may influence patient-centered care, exploring its potential to promote rehumanization or contribute to dehumanization. The objective is to identify the factors that shape these outcomes at the macrolevel (policy and infrastructure), mesolevel (institutional practices), and microlevel (individual behaviors and interactions). Methods: This study adopts an exploratory qualitative design informed by grounded theory principles, drawing on 20 semistructured interviews with health care leaders, clinicians, researchers, legal experts, and industry consultants who have substantial professional experience across European health care systems, with some participants also contributing experience from the US health care context. To enhance analytical rigor and transparency, the study applied the Gioia methodology, enabling inductive coding from first-order concepts to second-order themes and aggregate dimensions. This multistakeholder approach facilitated a nuanced examination of how AI integration is perceived and experienced across macro-, meso-, and microlevels of health care. Results: The analysis identified key system-level factors shaping rehumanizing or dehumanizing outcomes of AI integration. At the macrolevel, 8 factors - including regulatory frameworks, policy priorities, and infrastructure - were identified as influencing whether efficiency pressures outweigh patient-centered values. At the mesolevel, 5 factors related to institutional strategies, workflows, and leadership shape how AI tools are embedded into care delivery. At the microlevel, 7 factors related to individual behaviors, trust, and doctor-patient interaction dynamics influence whether AI supports empathy and engagement or diminishes them. Rehumanizing potentials include reduced administrative burden, improved care pathways, clearer health communication, and enhanced decision-making, while risks include shorter consultations, reduced empathy, overreliance on automation, and erosion of professional identity. Without deliberate alignment with patient-centered principles, efficiency gains risk undermining the human dimensions of care. Conclusions: This study represents one of the first empirical examinations of how AI shapes health care practices through rehumanizing and dehumanizing dynamics. The findings demonstrate that outcomes depend not only on technical capabilities but also on regulatory frameworks, institutional strategies, and cultural adaptation. By systematically mapping influencing factors across macro-, meso-, and microlevels, the research provides actionable insights for decision-makers to ensure that efficiency gains remain aligned with patient-centered principles. Realizing AI’s promise requires coordinated action to preserve empathy, trust, and interpersonal connection, ensuring that innovation strengthens rather than weakens the human dimensions of care.