Telemedical Education: Training Digital Natives in Telemedicine

Abstract

Telemedicine plays an important role in the delivery of medical care, and will become increasingly prominent going forward. Current medical students are among the first generation of “digital natives” who are well-versed in the incorporation of technology into social interaction. These students are well positioned to apply advances in communications to patient care. Even so, providers require training to effectively leverage these opportunities. We therefore recommend introducing telemedicine training into medical school curricula and propose a model for incorporation.