Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024:21:6.
doi: 10.3352/jeehp.2024.21.6. Epub 2024 Mar 15.

Opportunities, challenges, and future directions of large language models, including ChatGPT in medical education: a systematic scoping review

Xiaojun Xu  1 , Yixiao Chen  1 , Jing Miao  1
Affiliations

Opportunities, challenges, and future directions of large language models, including ChatGPT in medical education: a systematic scoping review

Xiaojun Xu et al. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2024.

Abstract

Background: ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) based on artificial intelligence (AI) capable of responding in multiple languages and generating nuanced and highly complex responses. While ChatGPT holds promising applications in medical education, its limitations and potential risks cannot be ignored.

Methods: A scoping review was conducted for English articles discussing ChatGPT in the context of medical education published after 2022. A literature search was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science databases, and information was extracted from the relevant studies that were ultimately included.

Results: ChatGPT exhibits various potential applications in medical education, such as providing personalized learning plans and materials, creating clinical practice simulation scenarios, and assisting in writing articles. However, challenges associated with academic integrity, data accuracy, and potential harm to learning were also highlighted in the literature. The paper emphasizes certain recommendations for using ChatGPT, including the establishment of guidelines. Based on the review, 3 key research areas were proposed: cultivating the ability of medical students to use ChatGPT correctly, integrating ChatGPT into teaching activities and processes, and proposing standards for the use of AI by medical students.

Conclusion: ChatGPT has the potential to transform medical education, but careful consideration is required for its full integration. To harness the full potential of ChatGPT in medical education, attention should not only be given to the capabilities of AI but also to its impact on students and teachers.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Attention; Data accuracy; Medical education; Medical students.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The flow diagram of searching and screening for articles on ChatGPT in medical education.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Summary of potential applications and advantages of ChatGPT based on the included records.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Summary of the potential risks and limitations of ChatGPT based on the included records.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Summary of advice for medical students and teachers based on the included records.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Ghassemi M, Birhane A, Bilal M, Kankaria S, Malone C, Mollick E, Tustumi F. ChatGPT one year on: who is using it, how and why? Nature. 2023;624:39–41. doi: 10.1038/d41586-023-03798-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Deng J, Lin Y. The benefits and challenges of ChatGPT: an overview. Front Comput Intell Syst. 2022;2:81–83. doi: 10.54097/fcis.v2i2.4465. - DOI
    1. Kim TW. Application of artificial intelligence chatbots, including ChatGPT, in education, scholarly work, programming, and content generation and its prospects: a narrative review. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2023;20:38. doi: 10.3352/jeehp.2023.20.38. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hultgren C, Lindkvist A, Ozenci V, Curbo S. ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) as an assistant tool in microbial pathogenesis studies in Sweden: a cross-sectional comparative study. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2023;20:32. doi: 10.3352/jeehp.2023.20.32. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alam F, Lim MA, Zulkipli IN. Integrating AI in medical education: embracing ethical usage and critical understanding. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023;10:1279707. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1279707. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources