RESUMO
Background: Healthcare workers are often overworked, underfunded, and face many challenges. Integration of artificial intelligence into healthcare service provision can tackle these challenges by relieving burdens on healthcare workers. Since healthcare students are our future healthcare workers, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perspectives of current healthcare students at Qatar University on the implementation of artificial intelligence into healthcare services. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of QU-Health Cluster students via an online survey over a three-week period in November 2021. Chi-squared tests and gamma coefficients were used to compare differences between categorical variables. Results: One hundred and ninety-three QU-Health students responded. Most participants had a positive attitude towards artificial intelligence, finding it useful and reliable. The most popular perceived advantage of artificial intelligence was its ability to speed up work processes. Around 40% expressed concern about a threat to job security from artificial intelligence, and a majority believed that artificial intelligence cannot provide sympathetic care (57.9%). Participants who felt that artificial intelligence can better make diagnoses than humans also agreed that artificial intelligence could replace their job (p = 0.005). Male students had more knowledge (p = 0.005) and received more training (p = 0.005) about healthcare artificial intelligence. Participants cited a lack of expert mentorship as a barrier to obtaining knowledge about artificial intelligence, followed by lack of dedicated courses and funding. Conclusions: More resources are required for students to develop a good understanding about artificial intelligence. Education needs to be supported by expert mentorship. Further work is needed on how best to integrate artificial intelligence teaching into university curricula.
RESUMO
Despite the wide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, refugees remain last in line for the intake of vaccines. Syrian refugees in Jordan reach up to 700,000 registered and almost up to 700,000 unregistered refugees. This study aims to assess the willingness of Syrian refugees in Jordan to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan were invited through social media to complete the survey between January and March 2022. A total of 230 refugees participated in our study, with almost half the participants of male gender. The majority of the participants had secondary school as their highest education level and were unemployed, being below the social poverty line. Interestingly, Syrian refugees showed a high vaccine acceptance rate, as 89.6% were willing to take the vaccine. Moreover, they showed high knowledge regarding the vaccine, the disease, and the virus. Our findings highlight the importance of knowledge and awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine to increase the acceptance rate. This is very important as refugees represent a vulnerable group to infection and complications and require close attention, especially with their significant numbers in Jordon and challenges of providing adequate vaccine supplies at their camps. We hope that, with proper dissemination of knowledge and awareness and with easy accessibility to the vaccines, it will ensure high immunization to reach herd immunity in Jordan.
