Article: ChatGPT for Academic Purposes: Survey Among Undergraduate Healthcare Students in Malaysia

Background: The impact of generative artificial intelligence-based Chatbots on medical education, particularly in Southeast Asia, is understudied regarding healthcare students' perceptions of its academic utility. Sociodemographic profiles and educational strategies influence prospective healthcare practitioners' attitudes toward AI tools.

Aim And Objectives: This study aimed to assess healthcare university students' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding ChatGPT for academic purposes. It explored chatbot usage frequency, purposes, satisfaction levels, and associations between age, gender, and ChatGPT variables.

Methodology: Four hundred forty-three undergraduate students at a Malaysian tertiary healthcare institute participated, revealing varying awareness levels of ChatGPT's academic utility. Despite concerns about accuracy, ethics, and dependency, participants generally held positive attitudes toward ChatGPT in academics.

Results: Multiple logistic regression highlighted associations between demographics, knowledge, attitude, and academic ChatGPT use. MBBS students were significantly more likely to use ChatGPT for academics than BDS and FIS students. Final-year students exhibited the highest likelihood of academic ChatGPT use. Higher knowledge and positive attitudes correlated with increased academic usage. Most users (45.8%) employed ChatGPT to aid specific assignment sections while completing most work independently. Some did not use it (41.1%), while others heavily relied on it (9.3%). Users also employed it for various purposes, from generating questions to understanding concepts. Thematic analysis of responses showed students' concerns about data accuracy, plagiarism, ethical issues, and dependency on ChatGPT for academic tasks.

Conclusion: This study aids in creating guidelines for implementing GAI chatbots in healthcare education, emphasizing benefits, and risks, and informing AI developers and educators about ChatGPT's potential in academia.

Citing Articles

Nursing Students' Perceptions and Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Nursing Education.

Han S, Kang H, Gimber P, Lim S Nurs Rep. 2025; 15(2).

PMID: 39997804 PMC: 11858139. DOI: 10.3390/nursrep15020068.

Higher education students' perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions.

Ravselj D, Kerzic D, Tomazevic N, Umek L, Brezovar N, A Iahad N PLoS One. 2025; 20(2):e0315011.

PMID: 39908277 PMC: 11798494. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0315011.

Taught by a Robot: A Trainee Perspective on Artificial Intelligence in Medical School Education.

Nguyen L, Tran V, Tran J, Oorjitham N Acad Psychiatry. 2024; 49(1):31-34.

PMID: 39528831 DOI: 10.1007/s40596-024-02081-8.

eHealth Assistant AI Chatbot Using a Large Language Model to Provide Personalized Answers through Secure Decentralized Communication.

Pap I, Oniga S Sensors (Basel). 2024; 24(18).

PMID: 39338885 PMC: 11436070. DOI: 10.3390/s24186140.

Exploring the Usage of ChatGPT Among Medical Students in the United States.

Zhang J, Yoon C, Williams D, Pinkas A J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2024; 11:23821205241264695.

PMID: 39092290 PMC: 11292693. DOI: 10.1177/23821205241264695.

References

1.

Sallam M, Salim N, Barakat M, Al-Mahzoum K, Al-Tammemi A, Malaeb D . Assessing Health Students' Attitudes and Usage of ChatGPT in Jordan: Validation Study. JMIR Med Educ. 2023; 9:e48254. PMC: 10509747. DOI: 10.2196/48254. View

2.

Ibrahim H, Liu F, Asim R, Battu B, Benabderrahmane S, Alhafni B . Perception, performance, and detectability of conversational artificial intelligence across 32 university courses. Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):12187. PMC: 10449897. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38964-3. View

3.

Sallam M . ChatGPT Utility in Healthcare Education, Research, and Practice: Systematic Review on the Promising Perspectives and Valid Concerns. Healthcare (Basel). 2023; 11(6). PMC: 10048148. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11060887. View

4.

Guo A, Li J . Harnessing the power of ChatGPT in medical education. Med Teach. 2023; 45(9):1063. DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2023.2198094. View

5.

Cascella M, Montomoli J, Bellini V, Bignami E . Evaluating the Feasibility of ChatGPT in Healthcare: An Analysis of Multiple Clinical and Research Scenarios. J Med Syst. 2023; 47(1):33. PMC: 9985086. DOI: 10.1007/s10916-023-01925-4. View

6.

Lin Z . Why and how to embrace AI such as ChatGPT in your academic life. R Soc Open Sci. 2023; 10(8):230658. PMC: 10445029. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230658. View

7.

Abd-Alrazaq A, AlSaad R, Alhuwail D, Ahmed A, Healy P, Latifi S . Large Language Models in Medical Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions. JMIR Med Educ. 2023; 9:e48291. PMC: 10273039. DOI: 10.2196/48291. View

8.

Polit D, Tatano Beck C . The content validity index: are you sure you know what's being reported? Critique and recommendations. Res Nurs Health. 2006; 29(5):489-97. DOI: 10.1002/nur.20147. View

9.

Gilson A, Safranek C, Huang T, Socrates V, Chi L, Taylor R . How Does ChatGPT Perform on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)? The Implications of Large Language Models for Medical Education and Knowledge Assessment. JMIR Med Educ. 2023; 9:e45312. PMC: 9947764. DOI: 10.2196/45312. View

10.

Kung T, Cheatham M, Medenilla A, Sillos C, De Leon L, Elepano C . Performance of ChatGPT on USMLE: Potential for AI-assisted medical education using large language models. PLOS Digit Health. 2023; 2(2):e0000198. PMC: 9931230. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000198. View

11.

Koivisto M, Grassini S . Best humans still outperform artificial intelligence in a creative divergent thinking task. Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):13601. PMC: 10502005. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40858-3. View