ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND USAGE OF AI-DRIVEN HEALTHCARE TOOLS AND HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Introduction: AI is proving to be a transformative technology in recent years, and in the healthcare industry, there are innovative and extraordinary applications in disease diagnosis, treatment customization, patient monitoring, and communication. From disease diagnosis to personalized medicine, patient monitoring to healthcare communication, AI is making a mark in the healthcare industry. This research, therefore, investigated the knowledge, attitude, and receiving of AI in health care among Osun state undergraduate students and its correlation with health outcomes.

Method: The method used in the study was descriptive cross sectional study. Twenty-four students from the undergraduate science class of Osun State University were used for the study. Data gathered were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using frequencies and percentage, and t-test analysis.

Result: The findings revealed that the understanding of AI among the undergraduate students in the hospital was ranging between moderate to high with 60% of students being aware of the role of AI in healthcare. There was a positive perception of AI, with 80% of users saying that AI technologies would help society with healthcare. This optimism is not without its challenges, as just one out of five of them have formal exposure to AI education. The adoption of AI healthcare tools was somewhat prevalent, with the majority of students using these tools weekly or monthly, and a smaller portion using them daily. Health-related outcomes, the most of the participants reported their good cognitive functioning, decision making ability, and their self-efficacy. However, high levels of emotional distress were seen such as sleep difficulties related to anxiety, reduced confidence and unhappiness. The statistical analysis did not reveal any significant correlation between the use of an AI tool and health outcomes among undergraduate students.

Recommendation: Digital health technologies should be introduced into the curriculum of education system; ethical guidelines of AI education should be established; and a balanced distribution of digital health technologies among undergraduate students should be achieved. Furthermore, special attention must be paid to the mental health support of students, which should be centered on students, including the use of AI-driven tools for early detection, monitoring and intervention on university campuses.