An AI Competency Framework for Emergency Medicine: A Multiphase Consensus Process

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being implemented in workflows of U.S. emergency departments, but no medical specialty has previously defined the competencies required for its competent use. A research team developed an emergency medicine-specific competency framework using a multiphase consensus process involving 13 experts from 12 academic medical centers. The framework consists of 5 main themes (communication about AI, understanding appropriate use cases, interaction with AI, AI risk management, and cognitive impacts of AI), 5 derived competencies, and 19 subthemes. All themes and competencies achieved the established consensus threshold with at least 70% of panelists rating items at 4 or higher on a five-point scale. This framework is the first AI competency framework specific to a U.S. medical specialty with quantitative evidence of content validity. It provides a structural target for curriculum development, assessment design, and faculty development in emergency medicine.