Fostering Digital Health Competency Skills with Continuing Education

Digital health solutions play an increasingly important role among physicians and healthcare professionals, which means they must gain the relevant competency skills to succeed in this area. The digital transformation of the healthcare sector has opened many new opportunities that are now permeating the work of medical professionals. This new era brings its own set of challenges that must be overcome.

At this year's MEDICA, Professor Matusiewicz delivered a keynote on digital health. In this MEDICA 2021 follow-up interview, Professor Matusiewicz recaps how digital health competency skills and knowledge can be incorporated into training and continuing professional education programs.

Mr. Matusiewicz, which competency skills are specifically required for digital health delivery?

Prof. David Matusiewicz: I would argue that it takes several skill dimensions to build a digital health foundation. This includes traditional abilities such as communication skills, empathy, being open to criticism and critical thinking. Added to this mix are so-called “new work skills” the modern workplace demands. It refers to self-education and self-directed learning using digital media options. Nowadays, it is no longer sufficient to rely on continuing education programs offered by employers. It’s crucial to take a more active role in upgrading your professional skills. A third key competency pertains to basic “digital skills”. This means exponential technologies – referring to digital technologies that have an exponential growth rate. Examples include robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, blockchain and many more. It's all about the content that defines the digital world. The delivery of digital health is successful when you combine these three components. These key competencies can be referred to as "future skills" health employers will be looking for down the road.

How is job education adapted to reflect digital transformation?

Matusiewicz: Instruction and continuing professional education increasingly emphasize micro-credential certificates and “nanolearning” programs. Unlike continuing education courses that are typically taught over the course of a few days, these particular programs deliver educational content in short increments, often in a purely digital format. These short training modules can be interspersed throughout the workday, thus ensuring continuous education and lifelong training.

Are there any stumbling blocks to digital health adoption on the part of physicians and healthcare professionals that must be overcome?

Matusiewicz: Many doctors are slow or hesitant to fully explore the opportunities of digital health solutions for a variety of reasons including impending retirement, for example. Healthcare professionals and caregivers must also be given time off for training or study purposes to prepare for future responsibilities. That’s because they otherwise don’t have the time and inclination to explore further education as they are too busy with their daily tasks. It’s critical to encourage active participation in professional development and to create continuing education and training opportunities.

Lastly, how did you like MEDICA 2021?

Matusiewicz: I really liked the trade show. Especially the hybrid formats caught my attention. I appreciate the fact that this allowed everyone to participate and connect with one another either online or in-person at the venue. In these unprecedented times, I think it was smart and marked an important step forward to create opportunities for all target audiences to take an active part in the event.