Assessing the integration of digitalization and AI in general medicine curricula in German-speaking Europe: a...

The integration of digitalisation, including artificial intelligence (AI), is becoming increasingly important in healthcare. It is transforming areas such as diagnostics, therapeutic planning and patient monitoring. However, research indicates that many medical students and physicians feel unprepared to use these technologies in their daily practice. This study provides insights into the opportunities and challenges of integrating digitalisation and AI into medical curricula with a focus on general medicine curricula in German-speaking European countries.

The objectives are to assess the perceived importance of digital and AI topics in medical education, evaluate the status of their integration into general medicine curricula and identify the challenges of their implementation.

A sequential mixed-methods approach was used. First, a qualitative analysis of documents from university websites was conducted. Subsequently, 59 general medicine departments in Austria, Germany and Switzerland were invited to participate in a quantitative anonymous online survey. Descriptive statistics were analysed using SPSS 30.0.

The survey was completed by half of Austrian universities and more than one-third of the German universities. None of the Swiss universities responded, resulting in a total response rate of 28.3%. The results reveal discrepancies between perceived importance and actual implementation, indicating a clear need for more courses on digitalisation and AI in medicine for medical students. Identified challenges with impact on limited implementation (especially of AI-related topics) were curriculum overload, a lack of qualified lecturers, lack of materials and a lack of resources.

General medicine is the largest segment of healthcare services in Austria and Germany. Respondents highlighted a strong demand for digitalisation and AI to be integrated into general medicine curricula, which is consistent with other studies and the current literature. Our results underscore the urgent need for the systematic inclusion of competencies regarding digital tools and AI to adequately prepare future physicians for real-world challenges.