Perceptions of Digital Health Education Among European Medical Students: Mixed Methods Survey (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Digital health technologies promise to enhance patient-related outcomes, to support the healthcare staff by reducing their workload and improve the coordination of care. As key users of digital health technologies, healthcare workers are crucial to enable a meaningful digital transformation of healthcare. Digital health literacy and digital skills are to become prerequisite competencies for health professionals to facilitate the implementation and leverage the potential of digital technologies to improve health. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess European medical students’ perceived knowledge and opinions towards digital health, the status of digital health implementation in medical education, and the students’ most pressing needs. METHODS The explanatory design of our mixed-methods study was based on an online, anonymous, self-administered survey targeted towards European medical students. The quantitative analysis was performed using R statistical language; qualitative data was analyzed applying an inductive categorization approach using MaxQDA 2020 software. RESULTS The survey received a total of 451 responses from 39 European countries and all years of medical studies. The majority of respondents saw advantages in the use of digital health. More than half (53%) evaluated their eHealth skills as poor or very poor and 40% felt prepared to work in a digitized healthcare system. Medical students considered the reason for this a lack of education, with 85 % agreeing or strongly agreeing that digital health education should be more implemented in the medical curriculum. Students demanded introductory and specific eHealth courses covering data management, ethical aspects, legal frameworks, research and entrepreneurial opportunities,, its role in public health and health systems, communication skills, and practical training with eHealth technologies. The emphasis lay on tailoring learning to future job requirements and interprofessional education. CONCLUSIONS This study shows a lack of digital health-related formats in medical education and a perceived lack of digital (health) literacy among European medical students. Our findings indicate a gap between the willingness of medical students to take an active role by becoming key players in the digital transformation of healthcare, and the education they receive through their faculties. CLINICALTRIAL

Undergraduate Medical Competencies in Digital Health and Curricular Module Development: Mixed Methods Study

“…Some sources name a lack of health care professionals’ awareness and knowledge as a main barrier to a successful digital transformation of health systems [ 30 , 35 ]. The European Medical Students’ Association recently identified a significant gap between students’ willingness to act in a digitalized health care environment and the knowledge and skills acquired in their curriculum [ 23 , 24 , 36 ]. Medical staff and medical students can be regarded as ready and willing to use digital health technology in their clinical routine.…”

“…According to a Europe-wide survey, medical students felt lacking digital literacy and demanded a wider implementation of digital health topics in their curricula [ 23 , 24 ]. Along with the need for education on ethics and technology specifics, a general introduction to the topic and the teaching of basic aspects of the field were asked for [ 23 , 24 ].…”

“…According to a Europe-wide survey, medical students felt lacking digital literacy and demanded a wider implementation of digital health topics in their curricula [ 23 , 24 ]. Along with the need for education on ethics and technology specifics, a general introduction to the topic and the teaching of basic aspects of the field were asked for [ 23 , 24 ]. In 2019, the deans of 25 European medical universities agreed on the rapid implementation of digital health education in their respective medical schools’ curricula, focusing on interprofessional education, practical skills, and innovation [ 25 ].…”

Attitudes towards Applied Technology in Healthcare amongst Medical Trainees: Insights from a Single-Institution Survey

“…Female respondents displayed decreased interest in internships/externships and the biodesign training and fellowship, both of which are more long-term career-oriented experiences that may be influenced by their lower sense of belonging and identification with STEM fields [15,31,33]. Some curricular experiences appealed more to certain trainee categories than others, highlighting the importance of tailoring programming to best match what trainees want [34,35]. While short-form programming like intensive workshops and topical lectures appealed more to graduate students/postdocs and residents/fellows respectively (both of which don't have as much of a formal didactic learning), a longitudinal curriculum was more favored by MD/MSTP students.…”

Digital learning about patients: An online survey of German medical students investigating learning strategies for family medical video consultations

“… 20 , 21 This extends to the integration of telemedicine learning objectives into medical school curricula. 22 – 24 Until now, medical students have acquired digital competencies for video consultations inconsistently, often in a fragmented manner or not at all, 25 – 31 despite the acknowledgment of the utility of teaching about video consultations by both students and political committees. 27 , 29 , 32 – 35 …”