The Integration of Standardized Digital Bedside Manner Training into Undergraduate Medical Curricula for Enhanced Telehealth Competency

Abstract

Telehealth technology has brought about a revolution in the way healthcare is delivered, highlighting the significance of developing effective interpersonal communication skills in a digital environment by healthcare practitioners. Interpersonal skills in a digital environment include good communication skills, empathy, and engagement, which are essential in establishing an enabling environment in which to deliver high-quality care to patients through telehealth means. Regrettably, existing undergraduate medical training programs lack competence-based training on how to develop digital bedside manner skills, leaving future health professionals poorly prepared for such environments. In this study, a digital bedside manner training program is developed and included in the undergraduate medical training curriculum. The program includes web-based learning modules, simulation practice, teleOSCEs, and feedback systems. Sixty third-year medical students participated in the study for six weeks. The results reveal that significant gains have been made in all dimensions of competencies: communication clarity (43.1 ± 7.5 pre-test, 66.2 ± 6.1 post-test), empathy and rapport (41.7 ± 8.0 to 64.5 ± 6.8), and patient engagement (42.8 ± 7.9 to 65.2 ± 6.3), all with p<0.001. System indicators show that participants engaged well in the process. Furthermore, 92% of the participants indicated that they had experienced an improvement in terms of their confidence levels and satisfaction. It is clear that there can be immense potential in the application of technology-assisted training in medical education.