Abstract:

The proportion of elderly individuals within the global population is rising swiftly. Ensuring the training and retention of an adequate number of healthcare professionals specializing in aging poses a major challenge for the future, as it is crucial to address the healthcare needs. Also, in today's fast-paced and constantly evolving world, digital skills are crucial for efficient performance in any hospital and are key to boosting professionals’ self-confidence. This is especially true in the healthcare sector, one of the most affected by innovative technologies and digitalization. Many healthcare professionals are at an age where they did not have the opportunity to acquire these essential skills during their studies, leading to increased burnout and decreased productivity. While there is a global need to update educational processes for healthcare professionals, a unified approach has yet to be fully developed. To address these challenges, the e-Hospital4Future project was launched, bringing together a European task force to create training modules tailored to the needs of clinical and non-clinical professionals in hospitals. The e-Hospital4Future learning framework also offers the opportunity to invite guest lecturers for full-time courses during visits lasting from one to three days. Additionally, seven of the courses include options for training educators trainees on specific topics, thereby enhancing the global exchange and dissemination of knowledge. The developed platform provides an excellent tool for improving the healthcare system services, starting from the lowest-range and to the highest-range players in this system. However, the healthcare authorities should appreciate the importance of digital education and provide the conditions and financial support for further training and development of their workforce. This collaboration, vision, values, and different perspectives from countries with different realities bring benefits not only to the project impact, but also to the field of health education in terms of knowledge and good/different pedagogical practices.

Keywords:

Digital skills, training, lifelong learning healthcare, innovation.