The importance of introducing artificial intelligence to the medical curriculum – assessing practitioners’ perspectives

Professional paper - Professional paper

• Author: Ivo Dumić-Čule
• Author: Tin Orešković
• Author: Boris Brkljačić
• Author: Mirjana Kujundžić Tiljak
• Author: Stjepan Orešković
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Medical Sociology and Health Economics)
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Medical Statistics, Epidemiology and Medical Informatics)
• Author's institution: University of Zagreb; School of Medicine; (Department of Radiology)
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Public Health and Health Care; Epidemiology
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Public Health and Health Care; Social Medicine
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE; Clinical Medical Sciences; Radiology

Abstract (english)

Aim To assess the attitude about the importance of introducing education on artificial intelligence (AI) in medical schools’ curricula among physicians whose everyday job is significantly impacted by AI.
----- Methods An anonymous questionnaire was distributed at the national level in Croatia among radiologists and radiology residents practicing in primary, secondary, and tertiary health care institutions, both in the private and the public sectors. The overall response rate was 45% (144 of 321).
----- Results A large majority of participants – 89.6% (95% Agresti-Coull confidence interval 0.83-0.94) agreed on the need for education on AI to be included in medical curricula. Answers revealed a very high support across age groups and regardless of subspecialty area. A slightly higher support was present among physicians working in university hospitals compared with those in primary care centers, and among radiology residents compared with radiologists – but these estimated differences are uncertain, and the support levels were clearly high across the considered variables.
----- Conclusion Since medical students have previously been shown to support introducing education on AI, a growing literature argues the same for reasons here reviewed, and physicians practicing a highly relevant area (radiology) overwhelmingly agree, we conclude that medical schools should indeed take steps to keep pace with technological progress in medicine by including education on AI in their curricula, be it as part of existing or new courses.

• Language: english
• Publication type: Professional paper - Professional paper
• Publication status: Published
• Peer review: Peer review
• Publication version: Published version
• Journal title: Croatian Medical Journal
• Numbering: vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 457-464
• p-ISSN: 0353-9504
• e-ISSN: 1332-8166
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2020.61.457
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:105:299056
• Publication: 2020-10-31
• Document URL: http://www.cmj.hr/2020/61/5/33150764.htm
• Type of resource: Text
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2020-11-25 13:03:13