Changing Professional Behaviors in the Digital World Using the Medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) Framework-A...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health Ethics
• Professionalism in Healthcare

Background:

• Increasing use of social media in medicine leads to unprofessional digital behaviors.
• Educating healthcare professionals on digital conduct is crucial.
• This study addresses the need for improved online professionalism among medical and dental students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an interventional workshop on medical and dental students' digital professional behaviors.
• To evaluate the newly developed medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) framework.
• To determine changes in professional values, behaviors, and identities in the digital realm.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, 3-phase mixed-method study.
• Utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a theoretical basis.
• Included pre-workshop surveys, an online interventional workshop, and post-workshop surveys analyzed with SPSS and NVivo.

Main Results:

• The workshop significantly improved attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions related to digital professionalism.
• Positive correlations were found between attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intentions across different professionalism aspects.
• Thematic analysis revealed students developed more reflective, self-aware, and conscientious digital behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The MEeP framework, grounded in TPB, effectively enhances digital professionalism in medical and dental students.
• The interventional workshop demonstrated significant positive changes in students' professional values, behaviors, and identities online.
• This research provides evidence for the MEeP framework's utility in medical education for digital ethics training.