Imperial experts co-author new global framework for digital health education

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Students undertake a lesson using iPads in a lab

International experts from 79 countries collaborated to publish a new framework for the adoption of digital health curricula in medical education.

Published in JAMA Network Open, the Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education (DECODE) framework is designed to guide medical schools in preparing future doctors for the ongoing digital health transformation, where everything from AI to an app to a wearable device can provide information in order to improve health outcomes.

The framework lays out the key skills and knowledge that medicine graduates must possess, including in health informatics, artificial intelligence, data governance, and ethical, professional, legal and regulatory considerations surrounding digital health.

Making swift impact round the world, the framework's development and publication has influenced a new report from the UK Medical Schools Council, which proposes data science learning competencies for medical students.

Experts in medical education and digital health research from Imperial, King’s College London, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and Harvard University formed a steering committee which supervised the development.

The committee then established a list of key competencies and learning outcomes for the framework, and subsequently engaged 211 key experts from around the world to collaborate and reach a consensus on the core requirements.

These agreed outcomes formed the framework’s basis and the content of its four domains: Professionalism in Digital Health, Patient and Population Digital Health, Health Information Systems, and Health Data Science.

Each domain spans distinct sets of skills and a range of mandatory and discretionary knowledge goals, with the framework built to facilitate medical schools to use their existing structures to adopt it.

Professor Josip Car, now a Professor of Population and Digital Health Sciences at King’s College London, initiated the project while in a previous role at, and supported by, Imperial, and is co-author of the framework.

Professor Car 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.”

He added, “This international consensus effort highlights the urgent need to integrate digital health education into medical curricula worldwide. The DECODE framework not only addresses this gap but also provides a flexible roadmap for institutions to tailor digital health training to their unique contexts and resources.”

Professor Amir Sam, Head of Imperial College School of Medicine and co-author of the new DECODE framework
Professor Amir Sam, Head of Imperial College School of Medicine and co-author of the new DECODE framework

Professor Amir Sam, Head of Imperial College School of Medicine, and a co-author of the framework, said, “Future doctors must be equipped with the competencies that allow them to respond best to the demands of a digital transformation in healthcare, and to ensure positive patient outcomes. Achieving a consensus on the core competencies, and building a digital health competencies framework, will enable medical schools to deliver the digital health curriculum through their own existing approaches and resources. We are delighted to have co-led such a positive collaboration with colleagues internationally, and to see this effort come to such constructive conclusion."

Dr Qi Chwen Ong, research assistant at NTU Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and co-author of the framework, 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."

Professor Rifat Atun, Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard University and also a co-author of the framework, said, “Digital health permeates every aspect of the care continuum. It is the critical ingredient for AI-enabled transformation of health systems to generate better value for individuals and societies. These benefits will be realized with rapid introduction of digital health education into medical curricula to train current and future doctors and health professionals.”


The Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education Framework: An International Consensus Statement Based on a Delphi Study
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Josip Car, MD, PhD; Qi Chwen Ong, MBBS; Tatiana Erlikh Fox, MD; Daniel Leightley, PhD; Sandra J. Kemp, PhD; Igor Švab, MD, PhD; Kelvin K. F. Tsoi, PhD; Amir H. Sam, MBBS, PhD et al is published in JAMA Netw. Open
DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53131


This news story is based on press materials provided by King's College London.

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Dorrit Pollard-Davey

Dorrit Pollard-Davey
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