Motivation
In clinical practice, students need to be able to apply their anatomical knowledge directly as a basis for clinical reasoning. In practice, however, it proves difficult to actively use that knowledge at the right moment. Traditional reference works do provide answers to factual questions, but they do little to encourage students to think further or make connections.
Ben and Marc are therefore investigating how an interactive anatomy AI coach can transform this ‘need-to-know’ moment into a more active and effective learning experience. Could an AI-driven learning partner not only inform students, but also actively challenge them to think more deeply and better connect theory with clinical practice?
Hypothesis
Using their innovation voucher, Ben and Marc are developing an interactive anatomy AI coach that supports students in the workplace whilst challenging them to think critically rather than simply passively looking up information.
Learning and applying anatomy becomes more effective as students become more cognitively active. Whereas traditional resources mainly provide answers, this AI coach encourages students to make connections, explain concepts and engage in clinical reasoning for themselves. This is achieved, for example, through explanatory exercises and in-depth follow-up questions that are relevant to real-world practice.
It is expected that this approach will lead to better retention of knowledge and a stronger link between anatomical knowledge and clinical practice, thereby helping to produce more confident and competent doctors.
Desired solution
Ben and Marc hope that the Anatomy AI coach will ensure that medical interns not only master their anatomical knowledge but also apply it with confidence in clinical practice.
In addition, the project aims to produce a practical blueprint for AI-supported, engaging teaching in knowledge-intensive disciplines. The approach could also be applied more widely in the future, for example within the Bachelor’s degree in Medicine or in subjects such as pharmacology and physiology, where an AI tutor helps students to link theory and practice.
Plan of action
The tool is available 24/7 via Gemini Pro and can be accessed on any device. The target group consists of medical students in the final year of their Master’s degree in Medicine. They can use the tool at various times: at home to prepare, in the clinical setting between tasks, and at the end of the working day to link their experiences to anatomical knowledge. During implementation, students and supervisors will be given guidance on how to use the tool in a professional manner.
The chatbot has two functions. Firstly, it provides quick and reliable answers to questions, supplemented with, for example, anatomical images or videos. Secondly, it challenges students to think more deeply by asking questions that relate to the clinical situation. In this way, the tool encourages active reasoning rather than simply looking up information. The tool’s effectiveness is evaluated using usage data, short questionnaires and interviews, linked to tests that measure clinical-anatomical reasoning.