Enhancing medical students critical thinking skills through ChatGPT: An empirical study with medical students

Study purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of ChatGPT in critical thinking skills among medical students. Methods: This cross-sectional survey study recruited 392 medical students from three public universities in Saudi Arabia. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing perceptions of ChatGPT's impact on critical thinking skills. Data were analyzed using SPSS, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and Cronbach's alpha to evaluate reliability. Results: Significant gender-based differences were found in perceptions of ChatGPT's efficacy, particularly in generating diverse perspectives ( P = 0.0407*) and encouraging questioning ( P = 0.0277*). Reflective practice perceptions varied significantly by age ( P = 0.0302*), while academic backgrounds yielded significant differences across all factors assessed ( P < 0.0001*). Overall, 92.6% believed integrating ChatGPT would benefit critical thinking skills. Most participants ( N = 174) strongly agreed that ChatGPT improved critical thinking. Conclusion: Integrating ChatGPT into medical education could offer valuable opportunities for fostering critical thinking abilities, albeit with the need for addressing associated challenges and ensuring inclusivity.