Exploring Second-Year Medical Students’ Perceptions and Use of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Education: A Cross-sectional Survey Study

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is further and further impacting the healthcare system, revolutionizing the ways in which diagnosis work, clinical workflows, and medical education.

The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the second-year medical students’ views concerning artificial intelligence, their knowledge, patterns of use, and attitudes toward it in medical education. It also examines the connections between students’ trusts, comfort levels, and ethical problems relating to AI.  Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was performed among the second-year medical students of the Iraqia University. The Only Gathering Data was a structured questionnaire distributed on-line consisting of items related to demographics, AI experience, attitudes, and educational preferences.

The analysis was done by means of descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and Cronbach’s alpha. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The majority of students self-reported a moderate understanding of AI and showed a strong desire for its inclusion in the curriculum with a preference for practical workshops. Informal use of AI tools for studying was common while formal training was rare. The statistically significant association was between gender and support for AI curriculum inclusion (p = 0.035). It was Pearson correlation that conveyed a strong positive relationship between fierce belief that AI has educational value and comfort using AI (r = 0.622, p < 0.001). A moderate negative correlation was found between comfort and ethical concerns (r = –0.44). The internal consistency of the attitude scale was low (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.21).  The second-year medical students are the people who are deeply interested in the use of AI in education yet are ironically not qualified enough with it nor do they receive enough institutional support like structures or programs. Their comfort and confidence in AI tools are laid by the perceived educational value and the previous teaching techniques they have been exposed. AI introduction into medical curricula along with ethical training, and practical learning can occupy the loopholes and train the students better for the tech which morphs healthcare science.