Bridging the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Gap: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) Study to Advance Medical...

artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the use of computers and technology to simulate intelligent behavior and critical thinking comparable to humans. During the course of medicine, AI aids medical students in various tasks like studying theory, practical applications, seminar presentations, proposal creation, etc. Understanding and adapting to these advancements is crucial for medical students to enhance their medical knowledge and also to enhance time efficiency.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding AI tools among medical students in rural Andhra Pradesh.

A cross-sectional study was conducted over two months (June and July 2024) at a rural medical college in Southern Andhra Pradesh. Using systematic random sampling, 210 medical students were selected as participants. After obtaining informed consent, data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2014. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.

The study revealed that 84.5% (169/210) of study subjects were using at least one AI tool in medical studies. About 61.4% of study subjects had good knowledge about AI tools being used for studying medicine. It was found that 93.8% of the study subjects had a positive attitude towards the use of AI tools during the course of medicine. It was noted that 89.5% of them were using only four AI tools for medical studies, with the most common being used for the preparation of PowerPoint presentations (34%). The most commonly used AI tools were ChatGPT (OpenAI, California, USA), Meta AI (California, USA), Snap AI (California, USA), and Google Gemini (California, USA), in descending order.

The students have good knowledge and favorable attitudes towards AI tools, but their practical application was narrow in scope, with most students using only a limited set of tools for specific academic purposes. Improving knowledge may enhance practical use among them. A module on the use of AI in medical studies should be integrated into the medical curriculum.