Digital Healthcare Ethics Laboratory (Digit-HeaL), Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia.
Institute of Social Medicine and Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia.
BMC Med Ethics. 2024 Sep 2;25(1):94. doi: 10.1186/s12910-024-01092-2.
In the years to come, artificial intelligence will become an indispensable tool in medical practice. The digital transformation will undoubtedly affect today's medical students. This study focuses on trust from the perspective of three groups of medical students - students from Croatia, students from Slovakia, and international students studying in Slovakia.
A paper-pen survey was conducted using a non-probabilistic convenience sample. In the second half of 2022, 1715 students were surveyed at five faculties in Croatia and three in Slovakia.
Specifically, 38.2% of students indicated familiarity with the concept of AI, while 44.8% believed they would use AI in the future. Patient readiness for the implementation of technologies was mostly assessed as being low. More than half of the students, 59.1%, believe that the implementation of digital technology (AI) will negatively impact the patient-physician relationship and 51,3% of students believe that patients will trust physicians less. The least agreement with the statement was observed among international students, while a higher agreement was expressed by Slovak and Croatian students 40.9% of Croatian students believe that users do not trust the healthcare system, 56.9% of Slovak students agree with this view, while only 17.3% of international students share this opinion. The ability to explain to patients how AI works if they were asked was statistically significantly different for the different student groups, international students expressed the lowest agreement, while the Slovak and Croatian students showed a higher agreement.
This study provides insight into medical students' attitudes from Croatia, Slovakia, and international students regarding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future healthcare system, with a particular emphasis on the concept of trust. A notable difference was observed between the three groups of students, with international students differing from their Croatian and Slovak colleagues. This study also highlights the importance of integrating AI topics into the medical curriculum, taking into account national social & cultural specificities that could negatively impact AI implementation if not carefully addressed.
在未来几年，人工智能将成为医疗实践中不可或缺的工具。数字化转型无疑将影响今天的医学生。本研究从三组医学生的角度关注信任问题——克罗地亚的学生、斯洛伐克的学生和在斯洛伐克学习的国际学生。
使用非概率便利样本进行纸笔调查。2022 年下半年，在克罗地亚的五所学院和斯洛伐克的三所学院对 1715 名学生进行了调查。
具体而言，38.2%的学生表示熟悉人工智能的概念，而 44.8%的学生认为他们将来会使用人工智能。患者对技术实施的准备程度大多被评估为较低。超过一半的学生（59.1%）认为，数字技术（AI）的实施将对医患关系产生负面影响，而 51.3%的学生认为患者对医生的信任度将降低。国际学生对该说法的认同度最低，而克罗地亚和斯洛伐克学生的认同度较高，分别为 40.9%的克罗地亚学生认为用户不信任医疗保健系统，56.9%的斯洛伐克学生认同这一观点，而只有 17.3%的国际学生持相同观点。如果被要求向患者解释人工智能如何工作的能力，不同学生群体之间存在统计学上的显著差异，国际学生的认同度最低，而克罗地亚和斯洛伐克学生的认同度较高。
本研究从克罗地亚、斯洛伐克和国际学生的角度深入了解医学生对人工智能在未来医疗保健系统中作用的态度，特别强调信任的概念。三个学生群体之间存在显著差异，国际学生与克罗地亚和斯洛伐克学生的同事不同。本研究还强调了将人工智能主题纳入医学课程的重要性，同时考虑到国家社会和文化的特殊性，如果不加以认真对待，这些特殊性可能会对人工智能的实施产生负面影响。
