A scoping review of artificial intelligence in medical education: BEME Guide No. 84

Abstract

Background

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, and there is a critical need for a nuanced understanding of how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and educational practice in medical education. This review aimed to map the literature regarding AI applications in medical education, core areas of findings, potential candidates for formal systematic review and gaps for future research.

Methods

This rapid scoping review, conducted over 16 weeks, employed Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and adhered to STORIES and BEME guidelines. A systematic and comprehensive search across PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and MedEdPublish was conducted without date or language restrictions. Publications included in the review spanned undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, encompassing both original studies and perspective pieces. Data were charted by multiple author pairs and synthesized into various thematic maps and charts, ensuring a broad and detailed representation of the current landscape.

Results

The review synthesized 278 publications, with a majority (68%) from North American and European regions. The studies covered diverse AI applications in medical education, such as AI for admissions, teaching, assessment, and clinical reasoning. The review highlighted AI's varied roles, from augmenting traditional educational methods to introducing innovative practices, and underscores the urgent need for ethical guidelines in AI's application in medical education.

Conclusion

The current literature has been charted. The findings underscore the need for ongoing research to explore uncharted areas and address potential risks associated with AI use in medical education. This work serves as a foundational resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers in navigating AI's evolving role in medical education. A framework to support future high utility reporting is proposed, the FACETS framework.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Morris Gordon

Morris Gordon, MBChB, PHD, MMed, is Co-chair of the BEME Council, Coordinating Editor of the Cochrane Gut Group, Professor of Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Review and a Consultant Pediatrician in the North West of the UK.

Michelle Daniel

Michelle Daniel, MD, MHPE, is Co-chair of the BEME Council, Associate Editor for Medical Teacher, Vice Dean for Medical Education and Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA.

Aderonke Ajiboye

Aderonke Ajiboye, BDS, MPH, is a Researcher at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Central Lancashire.

Hussein Uraiby

Hussein Uraiby, MBChB, MMedEd, FHEA, is a Specialty Trainee in Histopathology at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK.

Nicole Y. Xu

Nicole Y. Xu is a medical student at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA.

Rangana Bartlett

Rangana Bartlett is a recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego and current research assistant at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Janice Hanson

Janice Hanson, PhD, EdS, MH, is Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the Medical Education Research Unit, and Director of Education Scholarship Development at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.

Mary Haas

Mary Haas, MD, MHPE, is Assistant Residency Program Director and Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Maxwell Spadafore

Maxwell Spadafore, MD, has expertise in AI and informatics and is a Chief Resident, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Ciaran Grafton-Clarke

Ciaran Grafton-Clarke, MBChB, is an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Cardiology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.

Rayhan Yousef Gasiea

Rayhan Yousef Gasiea, MBBS, is a junior clinical fellow in medical education at Blackpool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Colin Michie

Collin Michie, FRCPCH, FRSPH, FLS, RNutr, is Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.

Janet Corral

Janet Corral, EdD is Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA.

Brian Kwan

Brian Kwan, MD has advanced training in informatics, and is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Medical Director for Education Informatics at UC San Diego School of Medicine, USA.

Diana Dolmans

Diana Dolmans, PhD, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Development & Research, staff member of the School of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, NL.

Satid Thammasitboon

Satid Thammasitboon, MD, MHPE, is Director of the Center for Research, Innovation and Scholarship in Health Professions Education, Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA, and member of the BEME Council.