Assessing AI Awareness and Identifying Essential Competencies: Insights From Key Stakeholders in Integrating AI Into Medical Education

Abstract

Background: The increasing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care has generated a growing need for health care professionals to possess a comprehensive understanding of AI technologies, requiring an adaptation in medical education.

Objective: This paper explores stakeholder perceptions and expectations regarding AI in medicine and examines their potential impact on the medical curriculum. This study project aims to assess the AI experiences and awareness of different stakeholders and identify essential AI-related topics in medical education to define necessary competencies for students.

Methods: The empirical data were collected as part of the TüKITZMed project between August 2022 and March 2023, using a semistructured qualitative interview. These interviews were administered to a diverse group of stakeholders to explore their experiences and perspectives of AI in medicine. A qualitative content analysis of the collected data was conducted using MAXQDA software.

Results: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 38 participants (6 lecturers, 9 clinicians, 10 students, 6 AI experts, and 7 institutional stakeholders). The qualitative content analysis revealed 6 primary categories with a total of 24 subcategories to answer the research questions. The evaluation of the stakeholders' statements revealed several commonalities and differences regarding their understanding of AI. Crucial identified AI themes based on the main categories were as follows: possible curriculum contents, skills, and competencies; programming skills; curriculum scope; and curriculum structure.

Conclusions: The analysis emphasizes integrating AI into medical curricula to ensure students' proficiency in clinical applications. Standardized AI comprehension is crucial for defining and teaching relevant content. Considering diverse perspectives in implementation is essential to comprehensively define AI in the medical context, addressing gaps and facilitating effective solutions for future AI use in medical studies. The results provide insights into potential curriculum content and structure, including aspects of AI in medicine.

Keywords: qualitative analysis; AI in medicine; artificial intelligence; medical education; medical students; needs assessment; qualitative approach.

Figure 1.. Main categories by occurrence of mentions per stakeholder group (qualitative content analysis). The presentation of the primary categories in the qualitative content analysis is based on the frequency of mentions per stakeholder group rather than a quantitative analysis of frequency distribution. AI: artificial intelligence.