Digital Health: Dispersed Continuing Education
- Telemedicine,remote patient monitoring,cybersecurity protocols,and data protection are increasingly integral to nursing practice.
- Lisette Cazellet, training manager for Formaticsanté, emphasizes that "all the skills of the nursing profession can and must be combined with digital capabilities." She cautions that mere familiarity...
- The roadmap, "Digital in Health 2023-2027: Putting Digital at the Service of Health," sets a moderate goal for continuing education.
Digital Health Integration Accelerates in French Nursing Education
Published April 4,2025
Telemedicine,remote patient monitoring,cybersecurity protocols,and data protection are increasingly integral to nursing practice. While continuing education initiatives are underway, digital health is poised to become a core component of initial nursing training programs in France, starting with the 2024 academic year.
Lisette Cazellet, training manager for Formaticsanté, emphasizes that “all the skills of the nursing profession can and must be combined with digital capabilities.” She cautions that mere familiarity with smartphones or being a “digital native” is insufficient for effective engagement with digital health. Competencies in patient data collection, secure communication with patients and colleagues, and facilitating telehealth consultations require specific training.
Continuing Education Lags Behind initial Training
The roadmap, “Digital in Health 2023-2027: Putting Digital at the Service of Health,” sets a moderate goal for continuing education. It recommends that skills operators (OPCOs) and training organizations incorporate digital health training into their catalogs by 2027, dedicating at least 10% of their activity to this area. Though, current offerings from non-specialized training providers remain limited. Sessions focusing on best practices in teleconsultation, cybersecurity, health data management, and the role of the “augmented nurse” are available within the framework of the DPC (Continuing Professional Development).
“This is not yet a priority subject,” Cazellet stated. “The demand from establishments is not massive.” She also noted that the cost of developing specialized digital health training, including e-learning modules and the recruitment of qualified trainers, presents a significant obstacle. Without dedicated government support, a ample expansion of training opportunities may be delayed.
this article was originally published in Actusoins Magazine (January 2024) and is now freely accessible.
Option training resources are available. The National Health Digital Agency (ANS) offers an online training platform and webinars,totaling approximately 80 hours of instruction,designed to enhance expertise in e-health. These resources cover topics such as patient and professional identity security, the use of secure messaging, and cybersecurity best practices.
Digital Health Platforms and Regional Initiatives
Regional support groups for e-health development (grades) also provide training opportunities, often featuring their own proprietary tools. For example, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has established an e-learning platform (Elea) offering modules and webinars on digital health tools, context, regulations, and related issues. The GIP pix, which manages the national online evaluation system for digital skills, has developed a platform specifically for health professionals, offering interactive scenarios and formative content on health data, cybersecurity, digital tools, and telehealth. URPS (Regional unions of Health Professionals) are also organizing regional digital health days for independant practitioners.
Building a Knowledge Base
These platforms enable health professionals and nurses to build a foundational knowledge base, enhancing their ability to utilize digital tools effectively. However, Cazellet cautions that “the weak point of certain training courses is that they are not always enough to make perceive the global issues of digital health, ethically or legal, for example, or on issues of digital inclusion.” She highlights that a significant portion of the population may require support to access health applications, such as MONESPACE-Health, or tools for monitoring chronic conditions. Nurses may increasingly be called upon to provide this crucial mediation.
Several universities offer specialized diplomas in digital health for nurses. Examples include the “E-health and Digital Change” program at Sorbonne University and the “Multidisciplinary Practical Teaching of Connected Health” program at Paris Cité University. The inter-university diploma in telemedicine, offered by multiple universities, is evolving to include modules tailored to specific professional practices, including nursing. These modules will address topics such as remote monitoring, telehealth support, and the organization of care using digital technologies. According to Maurice Hayot, director of the digital health school at the University of Montpellier, this specialization aims to meet the needs of nurses who coordinate care activities or manage digital projects.
The University of Limoges is developing a diploma focused on best practices in digital health.It is also participating in the creation of a digital health learning platform eligible for DPC certification,according to Laurent Fourcade,head of the Cinerg’esanté digital health campus. This campus is collaborating with the ANFH to offer brief, targeted training sessions on topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and secure online practices. “We want to do precision pedagogy,” Fourcade stated. Some universities also offer master’s degrees in science and digital health for nurses seeking advanced specialization.
General Acculturation Underway
The University of Montpellier is part of a consortium selected to participate in the “Skills and Professions of the Future” initiative, launched in 2021 to accelerate the training of health students. A key objective is to integrate 28 hours of digital health content into the initial training of health professionals, particularly in IFSI (Institutes for nurse Training), starting in the 2024 academic year. “The first step we are currently conducting is to open an establishment diploma - one DU – of digital health trainers,” explains Maurice Hayot. The consortium is also developing digital health modules with 20 training structures, including 13 IFSI. Similar initiatives are being implemented by other participants in the “Skills and Professions of the Future” program. According to Lisette Cazellet, modules created for initial training can be adapted for continuing education. She also emphasizes the importance of training IPAs (Advanced Practice Nurses) and health executives, as they “can play the role of interface with the medical team and can be key players in the deployment of digital projects.” Arnaud Barras, vice-president of the Entente Committee for nursing and executives (CEFIEC), believes that “This is a whole area to which caregivers must be acculturated.” While this process will take time, it is indeed now underway.
– Géraldine Langlois
Here’s a Q&A-style blog post based on the provided article, designed to be highly informative, engaging, and SEO-amiable:
Digital Health in French Nursing: A Q&A Guide to the Changing Landscape
(Published april 4, 2025)
The world of healthcare is rapidly evolving, and digital technologies are at the forefront of this change. In France, nursing education is undergoing a significant shift, incorporating digital health as a core component of training. This article delves into the specifics of this change, addressing key questions and providing insights into the future of nursing in the digital age.
Q: What’s the main reason for integrating digital health into French nursing education?
A: The increasing importance of technology in nursing practice is driving this change. Telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, cybersecurity, and data protection are integral aspects of modern nursing. This shift necessitates comprehensive training to enable nurses to leverage these tools effectively. The goal is to equip nurses with the skills needed to embrace and excel in a digitally driven healthcare surroundings.
Q: When is this digital health integration expected to begin?
A: The transformation commenced with the 2024 academic year, meaning that new nursing students in France are now receiving digital health training as part of their core curriculum.
Q: What specific digital health skills are now being taught to student nurses?
A: The training goes far beyond basic tech literacy. Future nurses will learn about:
Patient Data Collection: How to accurately gather and manage patient data in digital formats.
Secure Communication: Mastering best practices for secure communication with patients and colleagues, including utilizing secure messaging platforms.
Telehealth Consultations: Learning to facilitate and manage telehealth appointments effectively.
Cybersecurity Protocols: Providing nurses with an understanding of cybersecurity and how to protect sensitive patient data.
Data Protection: Educating nurses on significant data privacy laws.
Q: Is just being a “digital native” enough for nurses in this new landscape?
A: No, simply being familiar with smartphones or social media isn’t sufficient. as Lisette Cazellet, training manager for Formaticsanté rightly points out, “all the skills of the nursing profession can and must be combined with digital capabilities.” Nurses now require specific training in practical applications like patient data management, secure communication, and facilitating telehealth, among others.
Q: What role does the university of Montpellier play in this new approach to education?
A: The University of Montpellier is a pioneer in this area. They launched a dedicated digital health school in 2024, aiming to train 20,000 students and healthcare professionals in various digital health specializations within five years. They are also instrumental in creating specialized modules to assist in creating qualified digital health trainers.
Q: Is the French government providing resources for digital health training?
A: The French National Health Digital Agency (ANS) provides online courses and webinars, which collectively offer about 80 hours of instruction. The “Skills and Professions of the Future” initiative, launched in 2021, accelerates digital health training for health students. The government has a long-term plan for digital integration in healthcare, but as Lisette Cazellet noted, specialized training development faces funding hurdles.
Q: What does ”Digital in Health 2023-2027: Putting Digital at the Service of Health” recommend regarding continuing education?
A: This roadmap is very critically important, and it recommends that skills operators and training institutions should include digital health training in their catalogs, allocating at least 10% of their activities to this area by 2027.
Q: Were can nurses access additional digital health training?
A: several options are available:
ANS: The National Health Digital Agency offers an online training platform and webinars with approximately 80 hours of content.
Regional support Groups (Grades): These groups provide localized training, including platforms.
Universities: Sorbonne University,Paris Cité University,and the University of Limoges offer specialized diplomas and master’s degrees.
Q: What are some examples of specific training programs available?
A: Ther are some great examples of educational programs for nurses:
Sorbonne University: Offers a program on “E-health and Digital Change.”
Paris Cité University: Provides a program based on the “Multidisciplinary Practical Teaching of Connected Health.”
The University of Limoges: Is developing a diploma for digital health practices.
Q: What types of topics do these training courses cover?
A: Instruction covers various topics,including:
Patient and professional identity security
Secure messaging
Cybersecurity practices
Health data management
Digital tools
Telehealth
Q: Will digital health training address ethical and legal issues related to this field?
A: Yes,it will. Lisette Cazellet points out that some training courses fall short in covering larger ethical, legal, and inclusion issues of digital health.
Q: What are some challenges in expanding digital health training?
A: The cost and availability of resources present significant obstacles. Specialized training programs,including e-learning modules and qualified trainers,must be developed,which requires time and funding. Limited demand from healthcare establishments is a barrier that must also be addressed.
Q: Will there be a need for nurses to serve as digital liaisons for patients?
A: Yes, nurses might be called to help access health applications and platforms, specifically for chronic condition monitoring.
Q: How are Advanced Practice Nurses (IPAs) and healthcare executives involved in this transition?
A: They are seen as vital “key players” in the deployment of digital projects. They can work as a communication conduit between the medical staff and the digital health team, furthering the use of technology.
Q: Is the adaptation of digital health in French Nursing Training a long process?**
A: yes, it is, but according to Arnaud Barras, vice-president of the Entente Committee for Nursing and Executives (CEFIEC), “This is a whole area to which caregivers must be acculturated.” There are a good many changes to embrace.