The Barriers and Solution to Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Medical Education: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, AI adoption, in medical education is growing rapidly. Studies have been conducted on various aspects of AI in medical education, however, in the context of its challenges and solutions faced with AI adoption is rarely explored through qualitative approaches. It is necessary to know the barriers and remedies for AI utilization in medical education.Objectives: This study explores potential barriers and solutions to AI adoption in medical education. Materials and Methods: Based on Giorgi's phenomenological approach, this qualitative study explored an in-depth understanding of AI adoption in medical education through in-depth interviews from March to April 2024. By purposive sampling, sixteen participants across famous medical institutions of Pakistan were interviewed, and data collection was stopped upon saturation. Results: A total of 16 participants belonging to different cadres of undergraduate medical colleges of Pakistan were interviewed for the current study. A total of 219 quotations from the transcripts resulted in three main themes with subsequent subthemes (total 13), i.e. perceptions of AI in medical education with three subthemes, barriers to AI adoption with seven subthemes and conjoint solutions to barriers having three subthemes.Conclusion: AI adoption in medical education is evolving healthcare globally. Nevertheless, there are barriers like the complexity of AI, lack of technical skills for using AI, and scarcity of resources that hinder its utilization in medical education. Moreover, ethical concerns and the specific guidelines that attract investors are among other challenges. Countermeasures like improving technical infrastructure and faculty development initiatives through collaboration among policymakers, administrators, and teaching faculty can overcome the barriers. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Adoption, Challenges, Medical Education.