Effect of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Interactive Case-Based Training on Smoking Cessation Counseling Performance Among Medical Interns

Despite the availability of effective counseling strategies and pharmacological interventions, smoking cessation counseling remains infrequently used in routine clinical practice. Recent studies have demonstrated gaps in physicians' knowledge, confidence, and implementation of smoking cessation interventions. In Egypt, a recent study among resident physicians reported deficiencies in smoking cessation knowledge and counseling practices, while another study demonstrated low rates of referral for smoking cessation counseling among healthcare workers.

Traditional educational approaches often rely on passive learning methods that may not adequately develop practical counseling skills. Interactive case-based learning has been shown to improve clinical communication skills and smoking cessation counseling performance among healthcare trainees. Furthermore, recent advances in artificial intelligence have enabled the development of interactive educational tools capable of simulating realistic clinical meeting and providing structured feedback. AI-assisted simulation has shown promising results in smoking cessation education and medical training.

However, evidence regarding the effectiveness of AI-assisted interactive case-based training for improving smoking cessation counseling performance among practicing physicians remains limited. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of AI-assisted interactive case-based training on smoking cessation counseling performance among medicals interns using a randomized controlled educational design.