The role of generative artificial intelligence in psychiatric education– a scoping review
Qin Yuan Lee, Michelle Chen, Chi Wei Ong, Cyrus S. H. Ho
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The growing prevalence of mental health conditions, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the urgent need for enhanced psychiatric education. The distinctive nature of psychiatry- which is heavily centred on communication skills, interpersonal skills, and interviewing techniques- indicates a necessity for further research into the use of GenAI in psychiatric education. OBJECTIVE: Given GenAI has shown promising outcomes in medical education, this study aims to discuss the possible roles of GenAI in psychiatric education. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to identify the role of GenAI in psychiatric education based on the educational framework of the Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialists (CanMEDS). RESULTS: Of the 12,594 papers identified, five studies met the inclusion criteria, revealing key roles for GenAI in case-based learning, simulation, content synthesis, and assessments. Despite these promising applications, limitations such as content accuracy, biases, and concerns regarding security and privacy were highlighted. CONCLUSIONS: Despite these promising applications, limitations such as content accuracy, biases, and concerns regarding security and privacy have been highlighted. This study contributes to understanding how GenAI can enhance psychiatric education and suggests future research directions to refine its use in training medical students and primary care physicians. GenAI has significant potential to address the growing demand for mental health professionals, provided its limitations are carefully managed.