What have we learnt about using digital technologies in health professional education?

Informed use of digital learning technologies can contribute to effective learning experiences

The growing use of digital educational technologies in health professional education has mirrored the changes wrought by the digital revolution as a whole. However, while some activities in contemporary health professions education are almost exclusively mediated online (such as providing learning materials), others are still largely conducted face-to-face (such as supervision and assessment). Indeed, as the heat of the e-learning revolution has cooled,1 it has been replaced by a growing focus on integrating and sustaining the many technologies that learners, teachers and administrators now use. Despite this, the use of technology in health professions education is often ad hoc and reactive, rather than being purposive and strategic. In this article, we highlight some of the prevailing misconceptions surrounding the use of technology and recommend that educators and health professionals recognise that compromises are needed when designing technology-mediated educational experiences.