TY  - JOUR
AU  - Yamamoto, Akira
AU  - Koda, Masahide
AU  - Ogawa, Hiroko
AU  - Miyoshi, Tomoko
AU  - Maeda, Yoshinobu
AU  - Otsuka, Fumio
AU  - Ino, Hideo
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/9/23
TI  - Enhancing Medical Interview Skills Through AI-Simulated Patient Interactions: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e58753
VL  - 10
KW  - medical interview
KW  - generative pretrained transformer
KW  - large language model
KW  - simulation-based learning
KW  - OSCE
KW  - artificial intelligence
KW  - medical education
KW  - simulated patients
KW  - nonrandomized controlled trial
AB  - Background: Medical interviewing is a critical skill in clinical practice, yet opportunities for practical training are limited in Japanese medical schools, necessitating urgent measures. Given advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, its application in the medical field is expanding. However, reports on its application in medical interviews in medical education are scarce. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether medical students’ interview skills could be improved by engaging with AI-simulated patients using large language models, including the provision of feedback. Methods: This nonrandomized controlled trial was conducted with fourth-year medical students in Japan. A simulation program using large language models was provided to 35 students in the intervention group in 2023, while 110 students from 2022 who did not participate in the intervention were selected as the control group. The primary outcome was the score on the Pre-Clinical Clerkship Objective Structured Clinical Examination (pre-CC OSCE), a national standardized clinical skills examination, in medical interviewing. Secondary outcomes included surveys such as the Simulation-Based Training Quality Assurance Tool (SBT-QA10), administered at the start and end of the study. Results: The AI intervention group showed significantly higher scores on medical interviews than the control group (AI group vs control group: mean 28.1, SD 1.6 vs 27.1, SD 2.2; P=.01). There was a trend of inverse correlation between the SBT-QA10 and pre-CC OSCE scores (regression coefficient –2.0 to –2.1). No significant safety concerns were observed. Conclusions: Education through medical interviews using AI-simulated patients has demonstrated safety and a certain level of educational effectiveness. However, at present, the educational effects of this platform on nonverbal communication skills are limited, suggesting that it should be used as a supplementary tool to traditional simulation education. 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e58753
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/58753
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39312284
DO  - 10.2196/58753
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/58753
ER  -