MedEd Deep Dive

In this episode, we explore key insights from the GAME 2019 #FuturistForum findings, discussing how lifelong learning, technology, and a shift toward preventive care transform healthcare education and practice. We dive into the role of personalized medicine, the impact of AI as a "digital colleague," and the importance of a collaborative approach in shaping the future of healthcare. Join us as we discuss how these innovations change how doctors learn and patients engage with their health.

Link to the publication: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21614083.2021.1984076

What is MedEd Deep Dive?

MedEd DeepDive: Where Innovation Meets Education

Whether you're a student navigating the complexities of medical school, an educator striving to improve learning outcomes, a researcher pushing the boundaries of knowledge, or a policymaker shaping the future of medical education—this podcast is for you.

In Season 1 of MedEd DeepDive, we explore the cutting-edge innovations transforming how we teach and learn. From the use of AI and chatbots to combat vaccine misinformation to the game-changing potential of virtual simulations and the metaverse in medical training, our episodes dive into the latest research and real-world applications. We'll also discuss innovative tools like serious games, escape rooms, and virtual patients that make learning more immersive and effective.

Join us as we examine the technological advancements and essential human elements of healthcare education, highlighting how strategies like interprofessional education, team-based learning, and even traditional methods like moulage can create a more holistic and impactful approach.

Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve and participate in the conversation shaping the future of healthcare education.

Zaynab:

Keeping up with the future of health care, it can feel like, I don't know, trying to learn a whole new language sometimes. Right?

Yassin:

Totally.

Zaynab:

So you sent us this article, and it really got us thinking. It's from the Journal of European CME. Mhmm. And it's all about how health care and medical education, how they're kinda, like, changing together, which honestly makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Yassin:

Absolutely.

Zaynab:

So we're gonna dive deep into how these big ideas could actually, you know, mean big things for when you go to the doctor. Like, your next doctor's visit could look really different. Yeah. One thing that really jumped out, at least for me, was how much the article talks about how doctors actually learn. Right.

Zaynab:

And this isn't like, oh, remember that anatomy test you aspec in med school? This is, like, constant learning. Yeah. The article keeps calling it lifelong learning, which I thought was interesting.

Yassin:

Yeah. No. It makes sense, though. Right?

Zaynab:

Because it's not like they go to med school and then, boom, they know everything forever.

Yassin:

Yeah. Exactly. Like, think about how much has changed even just in the last couple years.

Zaynab:

I know.

Yassin:

New tech, new research.

Zaynab:

It's a lot.

Yassin:

It's a lot to keep up with.

Zaynab:

And it's only gonna get, like, more intense. Right? So what does that mean for us, the patients? I mean, will we have to be more involved? Will we have to be, like, more informed to keep up our end of this whole health care thing?

Yassin:

Absolutely. And that

Zaynab:

It feels like we're part of this too.

Yassin:

Oh, 100%.

Zaynab:

But back to the doctors for a sec.

Yassin:

Yeah.

Zaynab:

The article really highlighted how all this constant learning is changing how doctors are being taught, like, even at the med school level.

Yassin:

Yeah.

Zaynab:

Like, those pictures you see of, like, the really serious professor

Yassin:

Right.

Zaynab:

Lecturing to a room full of students, all scribbling notes, like, that image, that's, like, going away Yeah. Fast. Yeah. Instead, they're talking about this new, I don't know, new breed of medical educators, I guess. Mhmm.

Zaynab:

And they're less about, like, being the, like, the sage on a stage, and they're more the article says, like, learning facilitators

Yassin:

Right.

Zaynab:

Which is interesting, right, so they're guiding these students to be more, like, adaptable and, like, problem solving superstars, I guess.

Yassin:

Yeah. Exactly.

Zaynab:

So with all this change going on, what skills do you think are gonna be most important for, like, the doctor of the future?

Yassin:

That's such a good question, and the article really digs into this idea of transformative learning, which I found fascinating. Of course, you know, they gotta know all the medical stuff. That's a given.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

But it argues that's kinda just the starting point now and that other skills, like communication, are becoming absolutely crucial.

Zaynab:

Oh, 100%. I can't tell you how many times I've left a doctor's appointment, and I'm like, wait. What? I'm more confused now than when I walked in.

Yassin:

Right.

Zaynab:

Like, if they could just explain things clearly Totally. With empathy Mhmm. I think every single patient wants that.

Yassin:

Right. And it's not even just about, you know, explaining things in a way that makes sense, but also, like, really understanding the patient's context, like, their life outside the exam room too. Right. And even the article mentioned emotional intelligence.

Zaynab:

Oh, wow.

Yassin:

As a key skill for doctors.

Zaynab:

Interesting.

Yassin:

Which at first, I was like, really?

Zaynab:

Yeah. It's not the first thing you think about.

Yassin:

But it makes sense because it's about seeing the whole person, not just, like, a list of symptoms. You know?

Zaynab:

It's interesting because I don't know. It makes you realize how much health care, even with all this fancy tech and treatments and stuff, still relies on that human connection.

Yassin:

Oh, yeah.

Zaynab:

Like, at the end of the day, it's about the relationship between you and your doctor

Yassin:

Totally.

Zaynab:

Which I don't know. No robot can really replicate that. Right?

Yassin:

Absolutely. The human touch is irreplaceable.

Zaynab:

And that human connection, it's, like, even more important as health care shifts, you know

Yassin:

Yeah.

Zaynab:

From, like, you're sick. Let's fix it to let's keep you from getting sick, which the article really gets into. Yeah.

Yassin:

It's a big shift.

Zaynab:

So what does that look like, though? Are we talking, like, spa days covered by insurance?

Yassin:

Well, I mean

Zaynab:

Okay. Maybe not that far.

Yassin:

Not quite. Although, I wouldn't say no to a little preventative pampering. Right? Right. But, seriously, the article's point is that the future of health care, it's less about reacting to illness and more about this proactive preventative care.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

So less about hospitals and more about, you know, just staying healthy in the first place.

Zaynab:

It makes you think about all the money we spend, like, as a society on treating things that maybe we could've prevented. You know?

Yassin:

Exactly. That's a huge part of it. Yeah. What if we took some of those resources and put them towards keeping people well from the start? Right.

Yassin:

And the article doesn't just, like, throw this idea out there. It gets into specifics.

Zaynab:

Okay. Good.

Yassin:

It talks about personalized medicine Right. As a key to making this whole shift happen.

Zaynab:

Personalized medicine. That's where it gets really futuristic sounding.

Yassin:

Right.

Zaynab:

Like, the idea that your treatment's tailored not just to, you know, what's wrong with you, but your genes, your lifestyle, like, everything. Exactly. And the article had this crazy example. Hold on. Okay.

Zaynab:

It talked about how scientists can

Yassin:

use crazy example. Hold on. Okay. It talked about

Zaynab:

how scientists can use

Yassin:

genetic testing to figure out which patients will respond best to certain cancer treatments. Wow. So it's not one size fits all anymore. You get a plan that's actually designed for you.

Zaynab:

So it's like, that's happening now. That's not just a sci fi thing.

Yassin:

It's happening. It's still early, but it's happening.

Zaynab:

Where? But all this this personalized care, all this data, that comes with some serious challenges.

Yassin:

Oh, for sure. Yeah. The article acknowledges that. Yeah. Especially when it comes to something as basic as how we pay for health care.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

Because right now, the system, it's set up to treat illness, not prevent it. You know?

Zaynab:

Yeah. Because, like, doctors, hospitals, they gotta keep their lights on, and insurance companies have their own thing going on.

Yassin:

Exactly. So how do we change those incentives?

Zaynab:

Right. It's tricky.

Yassin:

It's super complex, and the article's honest about that. We can't just wish those complexities away. But here's the thing, and I think this is really cool. It argues that this shift, this preventative care thing, it could actually put patients in the driver's seat when it comes to their own health.

Zaynab:

Hold on. Hold on. Patient's in the driver's seat. Write that down. Tell me more about that.

Yassin:

Okay. So imagine this. You're not just following orders from your doctor.

Zaynab:

Okay.

Yassin:

You're like an active participant in your own health journey. You've got information. You're asking questions. You're working with your doctor as a partner to create a plan that actually works for you for your life.

Zaynab:

Okay. That now that's a health care system I can get behind. Right.

Yassin:

But how do we actually get there from here? What needs to change?

Zaynab:

Well, get ready for this. The article basically says that hospitals, as we know them, they might become the last resort.

Yassin:

Wait. Hold on. Are you saying hospitals are gonna, like, go extinct? Because I don't know about that.

Zaynab:

Not extinct, but maybe evolving. Like, the article highlighted how telehealth, you know, doctors' appointments online

Yassin:

Yeah.

Zaynab:

And home based care, that could be the norm for a lot of stuff.

Yassin:

So you're saying, like, doctor's appointments for my couch in my pajamas.

Zaynab:

Exactly.

Yassin:

Okay. Maybe hospitals going extinct wouldn't be so bad then.

Zaynab:

Right.

Yassin:

But, like, what about the people who, I don't know, don't have good Internet

Zaynab:

Yeah.

Yassin:

Or aren't comfortable with all the technology?

Zaynab:

That's a really good point. And then there's the privacy issue. Like, if all our health info is online, how do we keep it safe?

Yassin:

That's what I'm saying. Those are some of the biggest challenges, and the article digs into those too. It says that this future of health care, this personalized preventative care, it can't just benefit the people who can afford it or who are good with tech. It has to be for everyone.

Zaynab:

And that's where I feel like all this tech we keep hearing about comes in. Right? No. You're sure. Like, especially AI.

Zaynab:

The article, it talks a lot about AI and how it could, like, totally change health care.

Yassin:

It does. It's pretty mind blowing stuff.

Zaynab:

I have to admit, though, when I hear AI and health care, I always picture, like, robot surgeons from those sci fi movies. Totally. But this article, it's a lot more I don't know. It feels more realistic and a lot more exciting, honestly.

Yassin:

Yeah. It's less about replacing doctors and more about, like, giving them superpowers, you know.

Zaynab:

Okay. I like that.

Yassin:

It talks about how AI can be this insanely powerful tool to help them make sense of all the data that's out there now.

Zaynab:

Because there's so much data, it's overwhelming to think about.

Yassin:

It's true. You've got electronic health records, genetic testing, even data from those wearable sensors, like, everything.

Zaynab:

Like, even the smartest person in the world can't keep up with all that.

Yassin:

No way. Yeah. And that's where AI comes in. The article talks about how it can go through all that information and find patterns that we might miss.

Zaynab:

Mhmm. You

Yassin:

know, flag potential problems, even help personalize treatments.

Zaynab:

So it's like AI as this assistant. Right.

Yassin:

Exactly.

Zaynab:

Working with the doctor to make sure they have all the information.

Yassin:

Like having your own personal medical Watson. You know?

Zaynab:

Oh, I love that.

Yassin:

The article even calls it a digital colleague, which I think is a perfect way to put it.

Zaynab:

Okay. So tell me more about this digital colleague thing. What does that actually look like?

Yassin:

Okay. So picture this. You're sitting down with your doctor and they pull up your file, but instead of just seeing your last couple of test results, they've got your entire medical history right there.

Zaynab:

Wow.

Yassin:

Like, going back years.

Zaynab:

Yeah.

Yassin:

All organized and easy to search. No more of those awkward pauses where you're trying to remember what you took for that thing you had 10 years ago.

Zaynab:

Right. That happens every time.

Yassin:

Right. But now it's like having your whole medical history in the cloud ready to go whenever you need it.

Zaynab:

Okay. That sounds amazing from a, like, efficiency standpoint.

Yassin:

Right.

Zaynab:

But I'm not gonna lie. The thought of all my health data just, like, floating around out there is a little scary.

Yassin:

Oh, absolutely.

Zaynab:

Like, what about privacy? What about security?

Yassin:

You're right to be concerned about that. It's a huge issue, and the article talks about that too.

Zaynab:

Okay. Good.

Yassin:

It says that all this amazing technology, it has to come with really strong ethical guidelines. You know?

Zaynab:

Yeah. Like, it's one thing to invent a self driving car, but someone has to, like, write the rules of the road first.

Yassin:

Exactly. A perfect analogy. And it's not even just about preventing the bad stuff. It's about making sure this technology actually helps everybody.

Zaynab:

So how do we do that?

Yassin:

Well, the article talks about data empowerment, which basically means giving patients control over their own information. You choose what gets shared and with who.

Zaynab:

Okay. So I have a say in this. It's not just up to, like, the big tech companies.

Yassin:

Exactly. Imagine being able to use your own data Yeah. To advocate for yourself, you know, to get the best possible care.

Zaynab:

Okay. Now that's empowering. But how do we actually make that happen? How do we make sure this tech is used the right way?

Yassin:

That's the $1,000,000 question. Right. And the article's point is, this is a conversation we all need to be having.

Zaynab:

It's not

Yassin:

just for the doctors and the tech people to figure out.

Zaynab:

Mhmm.

Yassin:

It's patients. It's ethicists. It's policymakers, everyone. We've gotta work together to make sure this tech benefits everyone.

Zaynab:

And that's a good place to wrap up, I think. Yeah? We talked about so much how doctors are learning this whole personalized medicine thing, AI, and, of course, the ethics of it all, which is huge. A lot to think about. It is.

Zaynab:

So for

Yassin:

everyone listening, we wanna hear

Zaynab:

from you. What really stood out? What are you thinking about after this? Hit us up on social media. We're at social media handle, and, you know, keep the conversation going.

Yassin:

Absolutely. Let's keep talking about this.

Zaynab:

Because like we said at the beginning, health care is changing.

Yassin:

Great.

Zaynab:

You're all part of it. Right?

Yassin:

100%.

Zaynab:

Alright. Until next time, everyone. Be well.