Training the Digital Clinician by Evaluating Health Education and Curriculum Integration New Zealand Psychology and...

The importance of digital health education is widely recognized; however, structural and knowledge deficits hinder its effective integration into training and on-the-job upskilling programs. Tackling these challenges will equip clinicians to navigate the fast-evolving digital mental health landscape confidently.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of digital health education and training needs for New Zealand mental health clinicians and trainees, including how psychology and psychiatry teaching programs are including eHealth and digital mental health tools in their curriculums.

A mixed method study was conducted between August 2021 and February 2022: (1) a survey of mental health clinicians and trainees investigating existing and desired training in digital mental health tools, (2) follow-up in-depth one-on-one interviews with a subsample of survey participants, and (3) in-depth one-on-one interviews with educators (program or curriculum coordinators) within psychology and psychiatry training programs.

The study comprised a survey of 118 clinicians, follow-up interviews with 17 clinicians, and interviews with 4 program directors of relevant training programs. The survey results revealed that 75% (n=88) of the clinicians had not received formal digital health training, yet 69% (n=81) had engaged in self-directed learning. Interest in further training was strong, with 83% (n=98) expressing moderate-to-high interest. Two key themes emerged from the clinician interviews: (1) openness to upskilling, reflecting a willingness to learn, and (2) barriers of time and leadership, highlighting challenges in accessing training due to workloads and limited institutional support. From the program director interviews, three themes were identified: (1) curriculum overload, reflecting difficulties incorporating new content into already crowded programs; (2) uncertainty and inconsistency, with educators unsure about the scope and delivery of digital mental health education; and (3) growth and future potential, highlighting optimism about integrating digital health training into curricula.

The findings reveal a pressing gap in formal digital health training for clinicians despite widespread interest and enthusiasm for upskilling. Key barriers-time constraints, limited institutional leadership, and a lack of educator expertise-are slowing progress.