Assessing Digital and AI-Readiness in Medical Education: A Delphi-Based Development of a Digital Health Competency Questionnaire

Why It Matters

Accurate measurement of digital and AI readiness enables medical schools to design curricula that match evolving healthcare technology demands, strengthening future physician competence.

Key Takeaways

• Delphi panel achieved 96% consensus on questionnaire items.
• Final instrument includes 25 items across four themes.
• Twelve experts, including educators and students, participated.
• Tool aligns attitudes with CanMEDS physician roles.
• Supports curriculum design and institutional benchmarking.

Pulse Analysis

The rapid integration of digital health platforms and artificial intelligence into clinical workflows has outpaced traditional medical training, creating a pressing need for reliable assessment tools. Existing surveys often lack depth or fail to reflect contemporary practice, leaving educators without clear benchmarks. By systematically developing a competency questionnaire grounded in literature and expert consensus, this study provides a robust framework for evaluating students' digital literacy, AI awareness, and readiness to adopt emerging technologies.

Employing a multi‑round Delphi process, the research gathered input from a balanced panel of ten medical educators and two senior students, ensuring both pedagogical insight and learner perspective. Over two iterations, items were scrutinized for relevance, clarity, and completeness, resulting in a 25‑question instrument organized into demographics, technical tool proficiency, technology attitudes, and educational expectations. Notably, attitude statements were mapped to the CanMEDS physician roles, embedding the assessment within a widely recognized competency model and enhancing its applicability across institutions.

For medical schools, the questionnaire offers a data‑driven foundation to identify curricular gaps, tailor instructional interventions, and benchmark progress against peer institutions. Its evidence‑based design also supports research into digital competency trends and the impact of targeted educational strategies. As healthcare continues to evolve toward AI‑augmented decision‑making, tools like this will be essential for preparing a workforce capable of leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes.