LUMC first medical programme to include AI in curriculum
How do you make effective use of AI and medical technology? And what role do you play in this as a doctor? This is what the LUMC/Leiden University is preparing medical students for, right from the first year of their studies.
Technology can be both software (such as AI) and hardware (medical technology). Each can be used in its own way, alongside or in conjunction with the other.
These technologies will play an increasing role for the doctors of the future. They can help with care provision but can also ease the administrative burden, for example. The healthcare system is under pressure, so the more technology that enables healthcare providers to focus on their core activities, the more future-proof this system will be. This could mean automatic summaries of consultations or predicting which patients will move from the emergency department to the acute admissions unit. But there are ethical aspects to consider. How can doctors make good use of medical technology? And how do you know whether you can trust this technology?
AI course for first-year students
The LUMC/Leiden University medical programme is the first of its kind in the Netherlands to include an AI & Technology course in the core curriculum. Its coordinators are Marcel Haas (Health Campus The Hague) and Marieke van Buchem (CAIRElab). The first edition of the course has already been given, in the shape of a theme week that took students through all aspects of AI and technology. They looked at different forms of AI such as prediction models, language models and image recognition, and at how to make effective use of these.
They also looked at other medical technologies that the healthcare sector has been developing and using for decades already, such as blood pressure monitors, MRI scanners or surgical robots. This long history has resulted in a wealth of knowledge and experience in medical technology and how to develop a good product.
Opportunities and challenges
This knowledge will form the basis of further discussion on discuss new developments and the associated opportunities and challenges. The students learned how to evaluate new technologies and what aspects to consider, such as ethical issues. Because as future health professionals they need to be able to reflect on and critically assess all these developments
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