Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of JAMA Network Open, 8(1), e2453131. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53131 Dr. Josip Car et al.
Points
- A panel of 211 experts from 79 countries established 19 essential digital health competencies for medical education.
- The competencies are categorized into four domains—professionalism, patient and population digital health, health information systems, and health data science—alongside 33 mandatory and 145 discretionary learning outcomes.
- The DECODE framework was formulated using a modified Delphi survey conducted from December 2022 to July 2023. A 70% consensus threshold was achieved through multiple survey rounds and expert discussions.
- The framework aims to bridge the gap in digital health education, ensuring that medical students and junior physicians are proficient in managing digital health technologies and data.
- Medical schools worldwide are encouraged to integrate and tailor the framework to their curricula, considering local needs, resources, and digital healthcare access disparities.
Summary
A recent international consensus statement developed by a geographically diverse panel of 211 experts identifies 19 essential digital health competencies for medical education. The competencies are grouped into four domains: professionalism in digital health, patient and population digital health, health information systems, and health data science. The framework also includes 33 mandatory learning outcomes and 145 discretionary learning outcomes. These competencies were established through a modified Delphi survey conducted between December 2022 and July 2023, with an a priori consensus threshold of 70%. The expert panel, which included participants from 79 countries and territories, provided input through two rounds of surveys, a consensus meeting, and post-meeting feedback.
The DECODE framework was designed to facilitate the global development of digital health curricula, addressing the rapidly increasing digitalization in healthcare and the current lack of digital health education in medical schools. The competencies reflect the need for medical students and junior physicians to be proficient in managing digital health technologies and data. The final framework outlines the competencies and associated learning outcomes to guide medical educators in implementing digital health education, considering the variations in terminology, curriculum space, and socioeconomic disparities in access to digital health education.
This framework is crucial for preparing medical students for the digital transformation in healthcare. It provides a comprehensive and adaptable structure for medical institutions worldwide to integrate digital health education into their curricula. Medical schools are encouraged to adopt and tailor the framework to their unique resources, needs, and local contexts to ensure that future physicians are equipped to navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
Link to the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2829788
References Car, J., Ong, Q. C., Erlikh Fox, T., Leightley, D., Kemp, S. J., Švab, I., Tsoi, K. K. F., Sam, A. H., Kent, F. M., Hertelendy, A. J., Longhurst, C. A., Powell, J., Hamdy, H., Nguyen, H. V. Q., Aoun Bahous, S., Wang, M., Baumgartner, M., Mahendradhata, Y., Popovic, N., … Obadiel, Y. A. (2025). The digital health competencies in medical education framework: An international consensus statement based on a delphi study. JAMA Network Open, 8(1), e2453131. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53131
