{"id":2113,"title":"Medicine in the Digital Age \u2013 What kinds of skills do physicians need?","link":"https:\/\/www.programm-gesundheit.blog\/en\/medicine-in-the-digital-age\/","date":"24. May 2017","content":"

The degree to which digital services and technologies can successfully make their way into the realm of healthcare depends not least on the digital proficiency of users themselves. This is yet another issue \u201cThe Digital Patient<\/a>\u201d project has chosen to explore. For example, after examining the results of our study on video consultations<\/a>, we concluded that new communication techniques should be integrated into the medical training and continuing education of physicians. Starting next week, the University Medical Center Mainz will be the first faculty in Germany to introduce a special curriculum for medical students. We asked the head of the project, PD Dr. Sebastian Kuhn, to describe the scope and goals of this special curriculum.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The increasing digitization of the healthcare system is changing the profession of medical doctors. Indeed, modern forms of communication and cooperation in everyday medical practice require new skills and qualifications. In order for future physicians to be able to comply with this profile of digital expertise, I headed up a working group tasked with the development of an innovative blended learning curriculum called \u201cMedicine in the Digital Age\u201d<\/strong>, which will launch on 29 May 2017 at the University Medical Center Mainz.<\/p>\n

It is safe to assume that today\u2019s medical students \u2013 as the first generation of \u201cdigital natives\u201d \u2013 already live in symbiosis with technical innovations and digital applications. However, the experience of growing up immersed in digital media on the \u201cconsumer level\u201d alone is insufficient to give students the key digital skills and expertise they need to pursue their chosen medical profession.<\/p>\n

Interweaving one\u2019s knowledge with his or her personal perspective and individual set of skills is the only way to achieve expertise in the field of medicine. And we have only just begun to develop meaningful concepts to help us achieve this goal. The introduction of the Medicine in the Digital Age curriculum marks the first time digital medicine will be implemented in the context of medical studies in Germany.<\/p>\n

If our goal is to create something new, we are going to have to involve all the key groups and encourage them to exchange and compare different experiences and approaches. Patients, students and physicians are important partners in this process. If they work together, it can lead to a common understanding \u2013 a shared mental model. The Medicine in the Digital Age concept systematically follows this approach.<\/p>\n