Abstract
Digital technologies are reshaping healthcare practices, influencing patient information-seeking behavior, and impacting ethical considerations. The emergence of eHealth, mHealth, and advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics hold promise for improving healthcare quality. However, in Portugal, digital health literacy is underexplored, particularly in healthcare education. This chapter scrutinizes curricula at higher education health schools, revealing that while health technologies are integrated, digital health is often confined to specific modules. Portuguese institutions must reconsider curricula to equip healthcare professionals with essential digital skills. The significance of this chapter lies in its critical analysis and recommendations for reform. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive integration of digital health in healthcare education, highlighting the gap in current curricula and advocating for a more comprehensive approach. Recommendations include implementing ongoing training to enhance digital health literacy.
TopIntroduction
In an era marked by the accelerating convergence of healthcare and technology, the realm of digital health stands as a transformative force. It is progressively permeating the healthcare sector, reshaping how healthcare professionals are educated and trained. The digital revolution has brought about profound changes in the practice of medicine and healthcare delivery, necessitating healthcare workers to adapt, evolve, and embrace emerging technologies. This chapter delves into various facets of digital health, including eHealth, mHealth, and digital technologies, while exploring the dynamic landscape of digital health in the context of healthcare workers' education and training, with a specific focus on Portugal. The concept of digital health encompasses the use of digital technologies to promote health and enhance healthcare delivery. It involves electronic devices like smartphones and wearables, health apps, electronic health records, and telemedicine services (Garcia, 2019; Maaliw et al., 2022). Digital health facilitates health information collection and sharing, communication between healthcare professionals and patients, remote healthcare access, and data utilization for improved healthcare decision-making (Estrela et al., 2023; Jagarapu & Savani, 2021; Karnoe et al., 2018; Norman & Skinner, 2006; van Deursen & Helsper, 2015).
Closely intertwined with digital health is the concept of health literacy, which pertains to an individual's ability to seek, comprehend, evaluate, and utilize health information to make informed decisions regarding their well-being (Almeida, 2024; Hauwaert et al., 2024). It involves the capacity to find reliable health resources, understand the information provided, and take appropriate actions based on that knowledge. Health literacy encompasses understanding medical terminology, interpreting health information, and making informed decisions about disease prevention and treatment (Norman & Skinner, 2006; Rachmani et al., 2022). Thus, digital technologies serve as the bridge connecting health literacy and digital health. These technologies encompass various digital tools and devices that enable access to health information, health monitoring, and self-care practices (Garcia et al., 2021; Goh et al., 2019; Revano & Garcia, 2021b). Digital technologies play an indispensable role in promoting health literacy, providing access to health resources and information, and facilitating communication between patients and healthcare professionals (Estrela et al., 2023). Consequently, health literacy is crucial for the effective use of digital health. Individuals with health literacy skills can find, comprehend, and evaluate digital health information and effectively utilize digital tools to enhance their health. Conversely, digital technology also influences health literacy, as new skills are necessary to navigate and effectively use the available digital health resources and tools (Kickbusch et al., 2021; Paige et al., 2018; van Kessel et al., 2022)
In Portugal, educational models in the healthcare sector are designed to cater to the diverse healthcare workforce, comprising physicians, nurses, and a multitude of diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, who play a pivotal role in this evolving landscape (Graça & Karger, 2019; Paula et al., 2021). Medical doctors, or physicians, are categorized into general and family medicine, public health, and hospital specialties, with a total of 45 hospital specializations. Nurses have specialized areas, including maternal and obstetric health, medical-surgical care, rehabilitation, community health, mental health and psychiatry, and child and pediatric health. Diagnostic and therapeutic technicians cover various areas, such as clinical analysis and public health, anatomical pathology, cytology and thanatology, audiology, cardiopulmonary, pharmacy, oral hygiene, physiotherapy, nuclear medicine, radiology, and radiotherapy, among others, totaling 17 professional groups. Understanding these healthcare human resources is essential for shaping effective health policies and strategies, especially those related to the need for increased digital literacy within the population.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Bologna Process: A European higher education reform aimed at creating a more cohesive and compatible European Higher Education Area. It emphasizes student-centered learning, flexibility, and the development of competencies relevant to professional practice.
Digital Literacy: The ability to use digital technologies effectively, encompassing skills related to accessing and engaging with digital health resources. It is crucial for both healthcare professionals and the general population in the context of the evolving digital health landscape.
Competency Framework for Digital Health: A structured guide outlining the skills and knowledge required in digital health.
Health Literacy: The ability of individuals to access, understand, and use information to make informed decisions about their health.
Digital Adaptability Competency: A set of attitudes, knowledge, and skills enabling healthcare professionals to adapt to and effectively utilize digital technologies in healthcare delivery. It includes confidence in using eHealth, critical evaluation of data, and adapting digital tools to individual patient needs.
Higher Education Institutions: Institutions that provide post-secondary education, such as universities and colleges.
Interdisciplinary Training: An educational approach that encourages collaboration and knowledge-sharing among professionals from different healthcare disciplines, fostering a holistic understanding of healthcare delivery.
Digital Health: The integration of digital technologies, such as electronic health records and hospital information systems, into healthcare delivery. It encompasses using technology to improve communication, access to medical information, and decision-making in the healthcare sector.
Action Plan for Health Literacy: A comprehensive strategy implemented in Portugal, consisting of four main objectives, each with specific targets, to improve health literacy levels among the population. It addresses various aspects of health literacy, including lifestyle, healthcare system utilization, chronic illness management, and knowledge promotion.
eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS): A commonly used instrument for digital health literacy assessment, measuring individuals' perceived ability to use digital health resources. It provides insights into people's confidence and skills in accessing digital health information.