The Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education (DECODE) framework is designed to help medical institutions better equip future physicians for the ongoing digital transformation in healthcare.
The framework is already beginning to be adopted across the globe, including in the UK where it has influenced a new Medical Schools Council report containing recommended data science learning outcomes for medical graduates.
Professor Josip Car is Professor of Population and Digital Health Sciences at King’s College London and co-lead author of the framework.
He said: “The DECODE framework represents a significant step forward in preparing future physicians for the digital transformation of healthcare.
By providing a globally adaptable set of competencies, we aim to ensure that medical graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to navigate and leverage digital health technologies effectively.
From mobile health apps and wearable devices to electronic health records and artificial intelligence, digital tools are driving a transformation in healthcare.
But research suggests that many medical students and physicians don’t feel adequately prepared for using new healthcare technologies in practice.
Dr Qi Chwen Ong is research assistant at NTU Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and co-lead author of the framework.
The researcher said: “It is important for medical education to keep pace with the rapid digitalisation in healthcare.
“To do so, targeted training and education in digital health is needed to ensure that future doctors can use these technologies efficiently and safely in care delivery.”
After generating and refining an initial list of competencies and learning outcomes for the framework, the steering committee engaged with over 200 subject matter experts from 79 countries and territories, spanning all World Health Organization (WHO) regions and World Bank income groups.
Through several rounds of feedback, experts reached consensus on the relevant and essential learning outcomes, which shaped the framework.
The final DECODE framework is made up of four domains – Professionalism in Digital Health, Patient and Population Digital Health, Health Information Systems, and Health Data Science – with each domain encompassing a set of competencies and mandatory and discretionary learning outcomes.