The integration of generative artificial intelligence into tertiary health education: A scoping review

This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in tertiary health education, including its practical applications in tertiary health education programs and how these applications are perceived by stakeholders. A literature search was conducted in five databases, including Ovid Medline, Ovid Emcare, Scopus, CINAHL, and ERIC. Articles integrating GenAI in tertiary health disciplines were included. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist was followed in the reporting of results. Overall, 20 studies were included and three categories were identified: 1) application of GenAI in tertiary health education, 2) perceptions of GenAI use in health education, and 3) ethical and responsible use of GenAI in health education. Currently, GenAI is being integrated as a complementary tool to automate academic tasks and improve the critical thinking skills of tertiary health students through optimizing class designs. Although GenAI applications were well-received by students due to high accessibility, concerns over misinformation, over-reliance, and data confidentiality were consistently flagged. The review identified a lack of formal AI literacy training, highlighting the need for structured AI literacy training modules and clear ethical guidelines to support tertiary health students in using GenAI. GenAI applications are being rapidly integrated into tertiary health education, primarily for automated grading/feedback and improvement of learning outcomes. Future research is recommended to investigate the long-term impacts of GenAI and how to implement AI literacy training in current tertiary health education programs.