Thank you for considering participation in this research project on digital health education for medical students. Please read the Participant Information Sheet below (PDF also available for download). To sign up, please click on the button for the Participant Consent Form (below). This is followed by an electronic form to select the preferred date/time for a 30-minute interview.

An evidence-based approach to addressing digital competency in primary medical degree curricula

INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS

Thank you for showing an interest in this project.  Please read this information sheet carefully before deciding whether to participate. If you decide to participate, we thank you.  If you decide not to take part, there will be no disadvantage to you, and we thank you for considering our request. 

Research Background and Aim

Digital technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in health care. For future doctors to effectively promote and improve health care they will need to have the knowledge skills and attitudes to operate digital technologies securely and accurately. This is also the expectation from employers, government, regulators, and patients. This project is being undertaken as part of the requirements for Brett Sumner’s PhD. The project aims to identify how medical education can provide the opportunity for future doctors to learn how to become effective in a digital health care environment. It aims to address the research question: ‘what works for whom and in what context for medical students to acquire digital competence?’

Research Participants

We are looking to recruit experts that have knowledge and experience in the current use of digital health or health informatics within a clinical environment to participate in one or more individual interview meetings via Zoom. It would also be ideal if the participants have some experience in supervising MB ChB students or recent graduates. We would like to hear your thoughts on what educational interventions might work better than others to develop competencies that lead to the effective utilisation of digital health care.

What will Participants be asked to do?

Should you agree to take part in this project, you will be invited to a Zoom meeting with the researcher. The meeting is to explore your thoughts on the various educational interventions and resources and how some of these might work better than others to develop digital health competencies within the classroom and clinical contexts. The researcher will be looking to capture as much input from educators as possible through brainstorming ideas and discussion around the resources, mechanisms, and contexts needed to achieve the desired educational outcomes

What Data or Information will be collected and what use will be made of it?

The data we will collect includes the following:

• Zoom meeting video recordings of the interview.
• Basic demographic data from you for the sole purpose of describing the group in general terms including your year in programme, gender, and ethnicity.
• Your name and email address to contact you to attend subsequent focus group and/or individual interview meetings (should you agree).

Your Zoom username will be visible to others in the meeting and the video recording; however, this will not be used for reporting and your anonymity will be maintained wherever possible.

The video-recorded Zoom meeting will be stored securely with only the student researcher and supervisors having access to it.

The focus group meetings and/or interview meetings will involve open questions and prompts from one or more facilitators. The precise nature of the questions that will be asked cannot be determined in advance and will depend on how the focus group meeting develops. Consequently, although the Department of Medicine is aware of the general areas to be explored in the meetings, the precise questions to be used cannot be reviewed. If the line of questioning develops in a way that you feel hesitant or uncomfortable you are reminded of your right to decline to answer any question(s).

The results of the project may be published and will be available in the University of Otago Library (Dunedin, New Zealand) but every attempt will be made to preserve your anonymity.

Can Participants change their minds and withdraw from the project?

You may withdraw from the project, before its completion (Feb 2024) and without any disadvantage to yourself. We will endeavour to remove any of your contributions to the focus group and/or individual interview meeting discussion(s) although this may not be entirely possible due to the group nature of data collection, however, your participation at the meeting will be recorded and retained as described above.

What if Participants have any Questions?

This study has been approved by the Department of Medicine stated above. However, if you have any concerns about the ethical conduct of the research you may contact the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee through the Human Ethics Committee Administrator (ph +643 479 8256 or email gary.witte@otago.ac.nz). Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated and you will be informed of the outcome.