Prof. Abebe Bekele

Background Clinical practitioners are influential figures in the public’s health-seeking behavior. Therefore, understanding their attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine is critical for implementing successful vaccination programs. Our study aimed to investigate clinical practitioners’ acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors for evidence-based interventions. Methods Data from 461 clinical practitioners were collected using a cross-sectional design via an online self-administered survey. Descriptive and multiple logistic regression analyses and chi-square tests were conducted using R version 3.6.1. Results The COVID-19 vaccine was accepted by 84.4 percent of those polled, and 86.1 percent said they would recommend it to others. Individuals with advanced levels of education demonstrated greater readiness for vaccine acceptance (P<0.001) and willingness to recommend (P<0.001). On the other hand, practitioners with concerns about the safety of vaccines developed in emergency settings were less likely to accept vaccines (OR = 0.22). Practitioners influenced by social media posts (OR = 0.91) and religious beliefs (OR = 0.71) were found to be less willing to recommend the vaccine. Conclusion The study demonstrated that interventions to improve clinical practitioners’ acceptance and recommendation of the COVID-19 vaccine should consider the following factors: level of experience and education, religious beliefs, safety concerns, specific profession, and source of information. Vaccine literacy efforts that directly address specific concerns and misconceptions, such as those that reconcile social media information and religious beliefs with scientific literature, are recommended.

IMPORTANCE Rapid digitalization of health care and a dearth of digital health education for medical students and junior physicians worldwide means there is an imperative for more training in this dynamic and evolving field. OBJECTIVE To develop an evidence-informed, consensus-guided, adaptable digital health competencies framework for the design and development of digital health curricula in medical institutions globally. EVIDENCE REVIEW A core group was assembled to oversee the development of the Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education (DECODE) framework. First, an initial list was created based on findings from a scoping review and expert consultations. A multidisciplinary and geographically diverse panel of 211 experts from 79 countries and territories was convened for a 2-round, modified Delphi survey conducted between December 2022 and July 2023, with an a priori consensus level of 70%. The framework structure, wordings, and learning outcomes with marginal percentage of agreement were discussed and determined in a consensus meeting organized on September 8, 2023, and subsequent postmeeting qualitative feedback. In total, 211 experts participated in round 1, 149 participated in round 2, 12 participated in the consensus meeting, and 58 participated in postmeeting feedback. FINDINGS The DECODE framework uses 3 main terminologies: domain, competency, and learning outcome. Competencies were grouped into 4 domains: professionalism in digital health, patient and population digital health, health information systems, and health data science. Each competency is accompanied by a set of learning outcomes that are either mandatory or discretionary. The final framework comprises 4 domains, 19 competencies, and 33 mandatory and 145 discretionary learning outcomes, with descriptions for each domain and competency. Six highlighted areas of considerations for medical educators are the variations in nomenclature, the distinctiveness of digital health, the concept of digital health literacy, curriculum space and implementation, the inclusion of discretionary learning outcomes, and socioeconomic inequities in digital health education. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This evidence-informed and consensus-guided framework will play an important role in enabling medical institutions to better prepare future physicians for the ongoing digital transformation in health care. Medical schools are encouraged to adopt and adapt this framework to align with their needs, resources, and circumstances.