Medical education in cyberspace: Critical considerations in the health system

Abstract

Introduction: Over the past few decades, two revolutionaryapproaches have emerged as a new form of medical education:Electronic Medical Education and Web-based Medical Education.A number of well-known medical institutions, such as Harvardand Johns Hopkins used a wide range of cyberspace capabilitiesto increase their competitiveness. Researchers have expressed thatcyberspace will change health system’s main objective of trainingphysicians and medical education. We conducted this study toidentify the health system critical considerations on core issues,involving the development of medical education on cyberspace.Methods: In order to conduct this study, we observed the stepsof a critical literature review, combined with the ‘Four-phasemethod’ adopted by Carnwell and Daly. We focused on particularliterature on health and cyber system functions; it was associatedwith systemic approach.Results: We developed a six-level taxonomy, Cyber level,Governance level, Ministerial level, Organizational level,Program level and Performance level, as a key solution that can beapplied for the success of medical education on cyberspace. Theresults were summarized and appraised in more details.Conclusion: Medical education on cyberspace is a complexinterdisciplinary system. It is important that all aspects of thehealth systems be involved as integral to the development of cyberbased medical education; without this convergence, we will beconfused by the decisions made by others within the system. Healthsystem should also communicate with those external sectors thatare critical to achieving better learning on cyberspace. Integratedplanning, governance and management of medical education incyberspace are pivotal elements for the promotion.Keywords: Medical education; Educational technology; Health informationtechnology; Health system