Use of ChatGPT as a study and teaching complementary tool in the medical course

Abstract The Coronavirus pandemic has driven the integration of technology on the education, boosting the remote teaching and online learning. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially ChatGPT, began to be used in the medical field for research and information analysis, representing a technological innovation. The main goal of this research was to identify the applicability of ChatGPT as a study and teaching complementary tool among medical students. This is a quantitative and descriptive study, carried out with 201 medical students from the Regional University of Blumenau and approved under CAAE 73891623.4.0000.5370. The data has been collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed descriptively along three axes: (1) Students’ perception about ChatGPT; (2) Use of ChatGPT as a complementary study tool; (3) Use of ChatGPT as a complementary teaching tool. The results show that 76.6% of the students use ChatGPT as a tool to support their studies, seeking to comprehend complex concepts, elaborate abstracts/annotations and solve problematic situations. The frequency of use of ChatGPT by teachers is low, and the students suggest that the tool could be used to clarify doubts, clinical cases and stimulate reasoning, aiming the student’s autonomy. However, using this instrument without assessing the quality of the information may compromise students’ capacity for critical analysis. In addition, guaranteeing the reliability of the references, preventing plagiarism and promoting ethics in the use of AI are fundamental concerns.