Original Research

Awareness, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Assumptions about AI in Clinical Practice among Final-Year Medical Students and Internees in Peripheral Hospitals of Sialkot, Pakistan

Muhammad Umar Eatsham1
R. Ph. University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
Nauman Rafi Rajput2
Sahara Medical College, Pakistan
Hadiqa Niamat3
Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan
Mishal-E Eman3
Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan
Hamna Bashir3
Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan
Maira Sajjad3
Islam Medical and Dental College, Sialkot, Pakistan

✉ Correspondence: Muhammad Umar Eatsham Email: pharmacist.pioneer@gmail.com

DOI https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v7i3.2637
Volume: 7, Issue 3 Pages: 191–196 Published: 21 Aug 2026
Received: 07 Oct 2025 Revised: 12 Jun 2026 Accepted: 12 Aug 2026 Published Online: 21 Aug 2026

Abstract

Objectives

The present study evaluated the level of knowledge, perceptions, and readiness of young physicians and final-year medical students on AI in healthcare, specifically in antibiotic selection.

Methods

A structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics in a cross-sectional survey of 400 participants (221 final-year students, 179 house officers).

Results

Out of the respondents, 52.7% were female largely aged between 24-26 years. There was a high awareness of AI (79.7%), primarily through self-study and Internet sources (69.5%). Though 73.3% found AI helpful in antibiotic selection, only 38.5% partly and 27% completely agree to use it to inform prescribing, and decisions to prescribe still lie with physicians. Data privacy was also a concern (36.5%), as well as inappropriate recommendations (32.5%), and the absence of empathy (31%). Interestingly enough, 84 percent of participants did not receive formal AI training, but 77.3 percent supported its presence in the curriculum.

Conclusion

Young doctors and medical students are optimistic (but careful) about AI in healthcare. Potentially this would be useful in antibiotic stewardship, although safety, training and ethical issues have indicated that it is not something that should be introduced without some kind of formal education and evidence-based advice.

Keywords
Artificial intelligence Healthcare Antibiotic prescribing Perceptions Curriculum

How to Cite This Article

Eatsham MU, Rajput NR, Niamat H, Eman M, Bashir H, Sajjad M. Awareness, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Assumptions about AI in Clinical Practice among Final-Year Medical Students and Internees in Peripheral Hospitals of Sialkot, Pakistan. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2026;7(3):191–196. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v7i3.2637

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Disclosed in accordance with ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency.

Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.

Ethics Statement

not_applicable

Conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

References

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Reference list indexed for Google Scholar and ResearchGate. DOI links resolve via doi.org.

CC BY CC BY 4.0 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. May be shared and adapted with attribution. © 2026 Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.
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