Digital transformation of medicine – experiences with a course to prepare students to seize opportunities and minimize risks

Abstract

Digital transformation has a major impact on the healthcare system and sometimes leads to disruption. Therefore, the medical environment we see today may be very different from what we see in the future. The aim of the present study was to investigate how medical students can be prepared for a medical environment that is currently not fully predictable. For this purpose, a course has been created at Witten/Herdecke University in the fundamental studies, which deals with the digital transformation of the healthcare system. Students can take part both in presence and synchronously online. Over the past five semesters of the event, there has been massive demand (up to 365 course assignments), an interactive discussion with internal and external experts, and a very high acceptance of the topic and methodology. The digital transformation of the health system will be a major focus of the new model curriculum at Witten/Herdecke University, whereby the synergies with the courses of the other faculties should always be used to train multiprofessional interface competences.