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Lifelong Learning for Clinical Practice: How to Leverage Technology for Telebehavioral Health Care and Digital Continuing Medical Education

  • Psychiatry in the Digital Age (J Shore, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Psychiatric practice continues to evolve and play an important role in patients’ lives, the field of medicine, and health care delivery. Clinicians must learn a variety of clinical care systems and lifelong learning (LLL) is crucial to apply knowledge, develop skills, and adjust attitudes. Technology is rapidly becoming a key player—in delivery, lifelong learning, and education/training.

Recent Findings

The evidence base for telepsychiatry/telemental health via videoconferencing has been growing for three decades, but a greater array of technologies have emerged in the last decade (e.g., social media/networking, text, apps). Clinicians are combining telepsychiatry and these technologies frequently and they need to reflect on, learn more about, and develop skills for these technologies. The digital age has solidified the role of technology in continuing medical education and day-to-day practice.

Summary

Other fields of medicine are also adapting to the digital age, as are graduate and undergraduate medical education and many allied mental health organizations. In the future, there will be more online training, simulation, and/or interactive electronic examinations, perhaps on a monthly cycle rather than a quasi-annual or 10-year cycle of recertification.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express gratitude to the American Psychiatric Association and Telepsychiatry Committee, American Telemedicine Association and Telemental Health Interest Group, and Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, Springer – Nature Publishing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health and UC Davis Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Northern California VA Healthcare System, 10535 Hospital Way, Mather, Sacramento, CA, 95655, USA

    Donald M. Hilty

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa and Iowa City VA Health Care, 200 Hawkins Dr, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Carolyn Turvey

  3. UCSD Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA

    Tiffany Hwang

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  1. Donald M. Hilty
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Correspondence to Donald M. Hilty.

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Conflict of Interest

Donald M. Hilty, Carolyn Turvey, and Tiffany Hwang declare no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Psychiatry in the Digital Age

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Hilty, D.M., Turvey, C. & Hwang, T. Lifelong Learning for Clinical Practice: How to Leverage Technology for Telebehavioral Health Care and Digital Continuing Medical Education. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 15 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0878-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0878-y

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