Preparing Physicians of the Future: Incorporating Data Science into Medical Education

Med Sci Educ. 2024 Aug 13;34(6):1565-1570. doi: 10.1007/s40670-024-02137-2. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Abstract

The recent excitement surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) in health care underscores the importance of physician engagement with new technologies. Future clinicians must develop a strong understanding of data science (DS) to further enhance patient care. However, DS remains largely absent from medical school curricula, even though it is recognized as vital by medical students and residents alike. Here, we evaluate the current DS landscape in medical education and illustrate its impact in medicine through examples in pathology classification and sepsis detection. We also explore reasons for the exclusion of DS and propose solutions to integrate it into existing medical education frameworks.

Keywords: Clinical informatics; Data science; Evidence-based medicine; Medical education.

Publication types

  • Editorial