Work

Use and perceived utility of ChatGPT among participating medical students in selected MENA settings: a cross-sectional survey

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ChatGPT is a language model, developed by OpenAI, that uses contextual understanding that allows it to generate relevant responses based on current input and previous context. ChatGPT has infiltrated many fields, including medicine. As the demand for medical education tools is increasing, it is important to understand the potential patterns of use for ChatGPT as one of these tools. This research aims to explore the extent of using) among participating medical students in their learning journey between September 2024 and February 2025 and understand their perceptions of its utility and trustworthiness of the tool. A structured, researcher-designed questionnaire was developed to approach these questions. While ChatGPT was powered by both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 during this timeframe, individual participant exposure to specific model versions or subscription tiers was not recorded. The questionnaire was distributed to medical students in both basic and clinical years in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). Analysis of the survey data was performed using SPSS (version 25), which revealed that 61.7% of surveyed medical students reported using ChatGPT in their studies, with a significant difference noted between participating students in the basic versus clinical years. The results suggest that surveyed students consider ChatGPT to be a source of information for medical studies, with significant differences in trust and perceived accuracy rates between participating basic and clinical students. In addition, participants reported that ChatGPT provides user-friendly information, but it often lacks specificity, requiring multiple queries. Even though ChatGPT was the most preferred source of information among surveyed basic years (the first three years) students, surveyed clinical year students were less inclined to rely on it. Overall, more than 96% of participating medical students reported that they would recommend ChatGPT to their peers, perceiving it to be helpful in improving their learning experience. Among the surveyed cohort, ChatGPT is widely used, and participants perceive it as helpful in their studies. Surveyed Basic-phase students reported relying more heavily on ChatGPT for general knowledge, while surveyed clinical-phase students indicated a shift toward more reliable & validated resources for advanced decision-making.

Source: BMC Medical Education

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10263-1