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Utilization patterns of AI chatbots among physical therapy students: A multicountry cross-sectional study
Salwa B El-Sobkey1,2, Dina Al-Amir Mohamed1, Mahmoud ElKholy1
1Faculty of Physical Therapy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Objectives:
To describe usage patterns of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots (AICs) among physical therapy (PT) students and explore the associations between students' demographic and academic characteristics and their patterns of AIC utilization.
Methods:
A multicountry cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 2024 to May 2025 across five PT programs in Egypt, KSA, and Lebanon. A convenience sample of 500 PT students (100 per university) completed a questionnaire assessing demographic data, academic characteristics, types of AICs used, duration and frequency of use, course types, and educational tasks. Academic levels were categorized into three groups (junior, intermediate, senior). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and analysis of variance, with significance set at p < 0.05.
Results:
The mean age of participants was 20.3 years and 53.2 % of participants were female. Participants had a mean cumulative grade point average percentage (CGPA%) of 83.3 %. Most participants were junior-level students (43 %). ChatGPT was the most frequently used AIC (98.4 %). Students reported using AICs for up to 4 years, with an average of 11.35 months. The most frequent task was topic explanation (89.8 %), followed by knowledge acquisition (69.6 %). Theoretical courses were the predominant context for AIC use (55.6 %), whereas practical (5.8 %) and clinical (3.6 %) courses were less frequently associated. Course type significantly influenced the type of academic task performed with AICs (p < 0.05), with theoretical courses associated with all tasks.
Conclusions:
PT students demonstrated high engagement with AICs, primarily for theoretical course tasks such as topic explanation and resource acquisition. Practical and clinical course engagement were limited, possibly due to the nature of required competencies and reliance on human interaction. ChatGPT dominated usage. Educators should be aware of these patterns to support balanced integration of AICs in PT education, enhancing cognitive skill development while preserving essential human interactions in practical and clinical learning environments.