Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Dec 9, 2025
Date Accepted: Apr 17, 2026
Artificial Intelligence Integration in Spanish Undergraduate Medical Education: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
AI is transforming medical practice and redefining the competencies that future healthcare professionals need to master. Despite international recommendations, the integration of AI into Medicine curricula in Spain had not been systematically evaluated until now.
Objective:
To provide a nationwide, systematic description of the presence, characteristics, and credit load of artificial intelligence (AI)–related content in Spanish undergraduate medical curricula
Methods:
A cross-sectional study (July–September 2025) including Spanish universities offering the official degree in Medicine, according to the “Registro de Universidades, Centros y Títulos” (RUCT). Curricula and publicly available institutional documentation were reviewed to identify courses and competencies related to AI in the 2025–2026 academic year. The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics.
Results:
Of the 52 universities analyzed, ten (19·2%) offer specific AI courses, whereas 36 (69·2%) include no related content. Most of the identified courses are elective, with a credit load ranging from three to six ECTS, representing on average 1·17% of the total 360 credits of the degree. Universidad de Jaén is the only institution offering a compulsory course with AI content. The territorial analysis reveals marked disparities: Andalucía leads with 55·5% of its universities incorporating AI training, while several communities lack any initiative in this area.
Conclusions:
The integration of AI into the medical degree in Spain is incipient, fragmented, and uneven, with a low weight in ECTS. The limited training load and predominance of elective courses restrict the preparation of future physicians to practice in a healthcare environment increasingly mediated by AI. The findings support the establishment of minimum standards and national monitoring of indicators
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