The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare: ethical considerations and implications on patient care

Background: The phenomenon of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is profoundly changing how healthcare is provided to patients, particularly the quality of healthcare and the effective ef-ficiency of medical services, but introduced ethical concerns, especially related to patient privacy, informed consent, and doctor-patient relationships. The proposed scoping review is supposed to determine the main ethical concerns and their reflection on patient-centered care within AI-based healthcare environments. Methods: The scoping review was performed via PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar with the following keywords: AI in healthcare, ethics, patient privacy and informed consent. Articles pub-lished in English since 2019 were chosen with the consideration of their emphasis on ethical is-sues of AI in the clinical context (the privacy, accountability, and transparency). After a strict se-lection process a total of 23 peer-reviewed articles were used. Findings: The review has revealed the main ethical problems namely the violation of patient pri-vacy through the widespread use of data, difficulty in informed consent underpinning AI-informed decisions, accountability bias worsening healthcare inequities, and a lack of trans-parency in addressing AI misconduct. These concerns are likely to erode patient autonomy and trust in AI though it has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy. Discussion: The results support the fact that the AI implementation in healthcare needs to be regu-lated by strong ethical codes and policies. To ensure that AI does not override patient rights, there should be standardized consent procedures, clear algorithms, and multidisciplinary control to achieve ethical integration that focuses on patient-centered care. Consistent with the National AI Strategy 2031 within the UAE, the recommendations aid fair implementation, which encourages innovation and preserves societal values.