Клінічна та профілактична медицина (May 2024)

UTILIZING DIGITAL COMPETENCES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL IN HIGHER MEDICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

  • Kyrylo I. Simon,
  • Lilia V. Kriachkova,
  • Serhii V. Zakharov,
  • Vyacheslav V. Zaitsev

DOI
https://doi.org/10.31612/2616-4868.3.2024.14
Journal volume & issue
no. 3
pp. 115 – 124

Abstract

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Introduction. Building a robust healthcare system aimed at improving overall population health and a reliable electronic health system requires a corresponding level of proficiency in digital competences (DC) among future healthcare professionals. The relevance of this research lies in the understanding that the effective execution of medical and managerial responsibilities is impossible without an adequate level of DC, and mastering them must occur during the education of future healthcare professionals. The aim. To investigate the levels of proficiency in DC and the understanding of their importance among students enrolled in institutions of higher medical education (IHME) for the development of leadership and management potential during the educational process of future healthcare professionals. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 265 students (1st-6th years) at Dnipro State Medical University. Bibliosemantic and sociological methods were used. Students were grouped by academic year: junior (1-2), middle (3-4), and senior (5-6). Results were analyzed using widely accepted statistical approaches and the integrated development environment Jupyter Notebook (https://jupyter.org/install). A significance level of p0.05). Proficiency in general DC was significantly higher compared to special medical and cybersecurity DC, both within each group and for all respondents. More than 80% of respondents stated that mastering DC is important for performing managerial functions, with no differences between groups (p>0.05). Conclusions. Present-day healthcare professionals require a proper level of proficiency in DC. The study demonstrates that students' motivation to learn DC is more than sufficient, but proficiency in special medical and cybersecurity DC needs improvement. The majority of respondents consider mastering DC an integral element in the formation of health-oriented leadership and effective management in healthcare. Mastering of DC should occur systematically with active involvement of IHME in the process.

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