Predicting Medical Students’ Intention to Integrate Digital Health into their Medical Practice: A Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Survey in Canada

Abstract

In recent years, many stakeholders have advocated digital health (dHealth) as a promising avenue to reduce inefficiencies, increase the accessibility and quality of care, and manage infectious diseases. In this context, an emerging issue for researchers and practitioners lies in the dHealth education and training that must be provided to medical students to prepare them to make effective use of dHealth technologies, and of artificial intelligence (AI) in particular, in their future medical practice. In addressing this issue, this paper aims to validate a theoretical model that hypothesizes relationships between medical students’ individual background, experimentation with dHealth, perceived dHealth education needs, and openness to AI-related innovations. To do so, a two-phased survey study of Canadian medical students was realized. Results confirming all but one of the research hypotheses thus constitute a valid basis for prediction and prescription with regard to the students’ integration of dHealth into their medical practice.