Telehealth Competencies in Medical Education: New Frontiers in Faculty Development and Learner Assessments

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Craig Noronha, Boston University; Margaret C Lo, University of Florida; Tanya Nikiforova, University of Pittsburgh; Danielle Jones, Emory University; Deepa Rami Nandiwada, University of Pennsylvania; Tiffany Leung, Maastricht University; Janeen E Smith, San Francisco VA Health Care System; Wei Wei Lee, University of Chicago
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-04-26
• Publisher: SPRINGER
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine 2022
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11606-022-07564-8
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
• Volume: 37
• Issue: 12
• Start Page: 3168
• End Page: 3173
• Keywords: COMMUNICATION-SKILLS; medical education; Health Care Sciences & Services; virtual visits; milestones; competencies; Science & Technology; telemedicine; telehealth; electronic health records; CARE; TELEMEDICINE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Medicine, General & Internal; General & Internal Medicine; SYSTEMS
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery

Abstract

Telehealth visits have become an integral model of healthcare delivery since the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid expansion of telehealthcare delivery has forced faculty development and trainee education in telehealth to occur simultaneously. In response, academic medical institutions have quickly implemented clinical training to teach digital health skills to providers across the medical education continuum. Yet, learners of all levels must still receive continual assessment and feedback on their skills to align with the telehealth competencies and milestones set forth by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This paper discusses key educational needs and emerging areas for faculty development in telehealth teaching and assessment of telehealth competencies. It proposes strategies for the successful integration of the AAMC telehealth competencies and ACGME milestones into medical education, including skills in communication, data gathering, and patient safety with appropriate telehealth use. Direct observation tools in the paper offer educators novel instruments to assess telehealth competencies in medical students, residents, and peer faculty. The integration of AAMC and ACGME telehealth competencies and the new assessment tools in this paper provide a unique perspective to advance clinical practice and teaching skills in telehealthcare delivery.