Medical students' perception of AI's role in radiology before and after an AI-focused educational panel: a paired...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied in clinical diagnostics, particularly in radiology, where it can assist with imaging triaging and anomaly detection. However, the integration of AI into medical education remains under researched. This study investigates the impact of an AI-focused panel discussion on medical students' perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and concerns about AI in radiology.

A paired pre-post design questionnaire comprising of 13 five-point Likert scale questions was administered to 40 medical students to complete before and after an AI-focused educational panel session at the International Radiology Undergraduate Symposium in London, United Kingdom on 24th November 2024. The questionnaire assessed four domains: 'Understanding of AI,' 'Attitudes Toward AI in Radiology,' 'AI Education in Medical School,' and 'Concerns About AI in the Future.' The primary outcome was to assess the change in students' perceptions of AI's role in radiology. Differences between pre- and post-session responses were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Hodges-Lehmann median difference, the effect size, r, and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and p-values were adjusted using the Holm-Bonferroni method.

Of the 81 eligible attendees, 40 (49.4%) completed the questionnaire (39 pre-session, 40 post-session). Students demonstrated significant improvements in their understanding of AI's potential role in radiology (Z = 3.04, p = 0.002; Holm-Bonferroni = 0.029; median paired difference = 0.5, 95% CI 0.0-0.5; r = 0.49, 95% CI 0.25-0.68) and in their awareness of AI's broader clinical applications (Z = 3.65, p < 0.001; Holm-Bonferroni = 0.0035; median paired difference = 0.5, 95% CI 0.5-1.0; r = 0.60, 95% CI 0.38-0.75). Participants expressed a more positive view of AI in healthcare overall, although concerns about AI replacing radiologists and insufficient AI education persisted.

Educational interventions have the potential to improve medical students' understanding and attitudes toward AI in radiology. Integrating structured AI education into undergraduate curricula may enhance AI literacy and better prepare future clinicians for an AI-enabled healthcare environment.