Mehta, Priyal

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), are potential tools for enhancing healthcare delivery and clinical research. Presently, there is a scarcity of research regarding the viewpoints of medical students toward LLMs. This study aims to explore the perceptions of LLMs and their applications among this demographic. Methods A cross-sectional study was done using an online survey. It was designed using Google Forms and circulated from July 2023 to August 2023. The target population included medical students from Ecuador, Ethiopia, India, Mauritius, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States (USA). Results A total of 1180 responses were collected from 10 medical colleges across 7 countries. The UAE had the largest number of responses (31.7%), followed by Ecuador (17.6%), and Mauritius (13.7%). And 77.4% respondents were already aware about LLMs before attempting the survey, most popularly, ChatGPT. Participants were most familiar with the specific use of LLMs in research (46%), and the lowest familiarity was seen in the use of LLMs in healthcare (37%). More than half of the participants (52%) support the use of LLMs healthcare, yet a significant number of them remained neutral (37%) or disagreed (31%) on LLMs being safe in this context. Conclusion While most of the medical students are aware of LLMs and their applications, the multinational survey demonstrated hesitancy among medical students in fully adopting LLMs into healthcare practice and clinical research. This study prompts further exploration of medical students’ attitudes and acceptance concerning the integration of LLMs for research methodologies, ethical considerations, and healthcare practice.

Abstract Background Twitter has become an invaluable resource for gaining insights into crucial developments in global healthcare communication. The hashtags (#) can be used to categorize tweets and gather conversations on a specific topic or to target a particular audience. Although the prevailing knowledge fund underlines the potential of digital networks to essentially influence the management of infectious diseases (ID), there has been no comprehensive analysis on the user information in the ID Twitter community, nor of the influence this hashtag has generated. The objective of our study was to evaluate the demographic data of #IDTwitter users, discern the most influential members and popular narratives in this realm, and ascertain the impact of the hashtag. Methods Using data from 28th June 2019 and 28th March 2023, an extensive analysis was conducted using the Symplur Signals research analytics tool. The analysis focused on the cumulative number of tweets, impressions, and unique users who shared tweets containing the hashtag #IDTwitter, with users categorized into specific healthcare stakeholder groups. The primary outcome measures were outreach and awareness measured by the number of tweets and impressions. Results The study observed the trends of #IDTwitter over a period of 45 months and found 441,650 tweets were shared by 92,734 users that generated a total of 1,833,037,732 impressions (views). Top five co-occurring hashtags were #IDtwitter, #MedTwitter, #MedEd, #COVID19, #TwitteRx. The top five countries reporting the greatest number of users of this hashtag were The United States of America (48326), Canada (4803), Mexico (3413), India (2759), Australia (2658). Various healthcare stakeholders’ categories were identified and three largest groups of contributors were Doctors (14.55%), Healthcare Providers (7.54%) and Researcher/Academic (3.70%). The top three influencers of this hashtag include two clinical pharmacists and one organization account. Country-wise distribution of Users of #IDTwitter The image shows the geographical distribution of the users who posted tweets containing #IDTwitter were shared (based on the locations at which the posting accounts were registered). Twitter is used worldwide for conversations regarding communicable diseases and their prevention, not only among the general public but also among students and professionals via online chat discussions and virtual rounds. Stakeholders of #IDTwitter Accounting for the percentage distribution of #IDTwitter-posting users in various healthcare stakeholders categories (data derived from Symplur Signals, with the classification being based on information provided in the Twitter biographies of the users- https://help.symplur.com/en/articles/103684-healthcare-stakeholder-segmentation). Twitter has become a quintessential tool for connecting people worldwide, and we can leverage this platform to our advantage by paying close attention to the topic and content of hashtag exchanges to combat misinformation related to matters like antibiotic usage or any epidemic infection on social media platforms. Top Co-occurring Hashtags The hashtags that generally appear alongside of #IDTwitter could provide an insight regarding the popular discussions involving #IDTwitter. Conclusion Our findings indicate that there is considerable interest in using #IDTwitter to promote relevant content and engage a geographically diverse audience. It underscores the vitality of professional voices in combating misinformation and we could definitely leverage this 'viral' hashtag for our advantage. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures