Self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward artificial intelligence in pediatric healthcare in a children’s hospital in China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo investigate the self-reported understanding and attitudes of healthcare workers and caregivers toward the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatric healthcare in a children’s specialty hospital, and to compare differences between the two groups.MethodsThis single-center cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted at Fujian Children’s Hospital from January 2026 to June 2026. A self-designed questionnaire was used to assess healthcare workers’ and caregivers’ self-reported understanding, trust, risk perception, and willingness to accept AI applications in pediatric healthcare. Respondents were divided into groups according to their identity. Categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, while continuous variables were compared using the independent-samples t test or the Mann–Whitney U test.ResultsA total of 261 respondents were included, comprising 159 caregivers and 102 healthcare workers. Healthcare workers had a higher level of self-reported understanding and a higher frequency of use of AI applications in pediatric healthcare than caregivers (p < 0.01); however, they also showed stronger perceptions of data security risks (p < 0.001). Caregivers reported greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making than healthcare workers (p < 0.001). Most respondents believed that AI could not replace pediatric healthcare workers, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.166). Regarding potential advantages, healthcare workers were more likely to agree that AI could reduce human error (p < 0.001). Regarding potential limitations, healthcare workers expressed greater concern about the risks of misdiagnosis, lack of humanistic care, and data privacy and security issues (p < 0.001).ConclusionIn this single-center children’s specialty hospital, healthcare workers reported greater self-rated understanding and more frequent use of AI, together with stronger awareness of several potential risks, whereas caregivers showed greater trust in AI-assisted medical decision-making despite lower self-rated understanding. These findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in larger multicenter studies before being generalized to broader populations in China.