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This generation of physicians will witness a profound change in the practice of medicine.
The digital world is upon us and this, more than any other change, will fundamentally
alter the way medicine is practiced and taught.
So how should we best train physicians to meet 21st century demands?
We can start by considering what doctors will need to be able to do in order to function
in a digital environment. New literacies for the digital age should be considered foundational
elements in medical education.
While there may be many, we are proposing three key literacies that will define the
doctor of 2033: network awareness, information management, and digital content creation.
Physicians in 2033 will practice as part of a broad network of collective knowledge. The
ability to communicate, collaborate, share, and learn as part of this global network will
become a critical skill.
As a result, one of our greatest challenges will be learning to manage the inevitable
information overload. The body of medical knowledge is beyond the point where any doctor
can know what all there is to know. By 2033, medical educators will move from teaching
students what they need to know to teaching how to access what they need to know. Thus,
doctors will need the tools and skills to manage information, inputs, and an exploding
networked knowledge.
A networked environment calls for a physician who can communicate and create using digital
tools. The ability to use basic communication platforms to create, translate, and share
information and knowledge will be a necessary skill for the physician, especially the academic
leader.
There will be many new skill sets necessary for the doctor of 2033. Educators have no
option but to build medical education around the realities of changing workflows and a
digital environment.
We must also remember that the ultimate interface is human to human. Within this new digital
space, we must still provide, and teach, truly compassionate care.