Telehealth Competencies in Medical Education: New Frontiers in Faculty Development and Learner Assessments

Abstract

Telehealth visits have become an integral model of healthcare delivery since the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid expansion of telehealthcare delivery has forced faculty development and trainee education in telehealth to occur simultaneously. In response, academic medical institutions have quickly implemented clinical training to teach digital health skills to providers across the medical education continuum. Yet, learners of all levels must still receive continual assessment and feedback on their skills to align with the telehealth competencies and milestones set forth by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This paper discusses key educational needs and emerging areas for faculty development in telehealth teaching and assessment of telehealth competencies. It proposes strategies for the successful integration of the AAMC telehealth competencies and ACGME milestones into medical education, including skills in communication, data gathering, and patient safety with appropriate telehealth use. Direct observation tools in the paper offer educators novel instruments to assess telehealth competencies in medical students, residents, and peer faculty. The integration of AAMC and ACGME telehealth competencies and the new assessment tools in this paper provide a unique perspective to advance clinical practice and teaching skills in telehealthcare delivery. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07564-8.

Exploring the educational value of the general surgical outpatient clinic: a systematic review

“…While opportunities for active involvement in a face-to-face setting are likely to be limited by the increasing popularity of telehealth, it remains a viable setting for training in the ambulatory setting as demonstrated across other clinical disciplines [ 24 ]. Telehealth itself is now proposed to be an important competency for the next generation of clinicians; therefore, engagement at a junior level is critical [ 25 ]. Despite this, there is a perception that telehealth limits learner participation [ 26 ].…”

Virtual Care in CanMEDS 2025

“…The virtual environment allows more efficient communication and can allow gathering of data not possible via other means. 6 However, it may also interfere with usual data gathering 2 and information sharing if this skill is not explicitly taught. 3.1 (Modify): Share information and explanations that are clear, accurate, and timely both in-person and virtually, while checking for patient and family understanding 4.3 (Modify): Use communication skills and strategies including selecting the appropriate in-person or virtual environment that help patients and their families make informed decisions regarding their health Not all environments are ideal for all communication scenarios (20).…”

“…1 However, competency in in-person care does not necessarily equate to competency in VC. 2 Despite multiple calls for specific VC training, [3][4][5][6] these concepts were identified as being underrepresented in the 2015 CanMEDS physician competency framework 7 by a recent literature review. 8 CanMEDS 2025 must be updated to reflect these novel competencies, ensuring that today's physicians are able to meet their patients' and societies' evolving needs.…”

To increase patient use of video telehealth, look to clinicians

“…In response, there has been a quickly growing literature highlighting the need for telehealth competencies to be integrated into medical education 33,34 . Importantly, in 2021 the Association of American Medical Colleges developed six core telehealth competencies in which practitioners should be trained, including the following: (1) patient safety and the appropriate use of telehealth; (2) access and equity issues; (3) effective communication via virtual means (e.g., how to best position oneself on camera, how to engender trust during a telehealth visit); (4) physical examination and clinical data collection; (5) troubleshooting telehealth technology, and (6) ethical and legal considerations 33 . Achieving mastery in these domains will be critical to ensure that patients have access to effective care that is delivered in the setting that is most appropriate to their needs and preferences.…”

“…Although the COVID‐19 pandemic rapidly increased providers' experience using telehealth, this typically occurred in the absence of any formalized instruction about the practice of virtual care 32 . In response, there has been a quickly growing literature highlighting the need for telehealth competencies to be integrated into medical education 33,34 . Importantly, in 2021 the Association of American Medical Colleges developed six core telehealth competencies in which practitioners should be trained, including the following: (1) patient safety and the appropriate use of telehealth; (2) access and equity issues; (3) effective communication via virtual means (e.g., how to best position oneself on camera, how to engender trust during a telehealth visit); (4) physical examination and clinical data collection; (5) troubleshooting telehealth technology, and (6) ethical and legal considerations 33 .…”