The Deans meeting held in Rotterdam on 12 April put the spotlight on how to prepare future and current doctors for the digital healthcare transformation as well as how to better integrate digital skills in the education and training of medical doctors.
“The digital transformation of healthcare is impacting the daily working life of health professionals, particularly doctors, in different ways, in terms of organization, clinical practice and interaction with patients,” says co-organizer of the event Annejet Goede, on behalf of Erasmus MC’s Research Development Office. “Yet, not all education and training systems across Europe take account of this aspect by including it as a core component in the education of student doctors, or in the continuous professional development programs offered to health professionals throughout their career.”
Participants of the conference were deans, educational directors and student representatives from various medical schools across Europe, as well as representatives of professional and student organizations, innovators and policy makers. In addition to key-note speeches and presentations of recent innovations, participants engaged in active ‘break-out’ sessions chaired by deans from the medical schools linked to the European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA).
Goede: “The discussions resulted in a clear set of principles and recommendations of action that can be taken forward by participants, and was brought to the attention of policy makers of the European Commission and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands.”
