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We thank Ms Rimmer for her summary of, and congratulate the Secretary of State for commissioning the Topol Review. We hope that this finally starts the much-needed change in creating an NHS that is a world leader in healthcare digitalisation.
We agree with Topol et al. in that it is quintessential for the NHS to not just appreciate digital medicine but lead in innovation or it will become subject to unintentional privatisation. A good example of this is Babylon-owned GP at Hand, which already has forced the Hammersmith and Fulham CCG to adapt their spending (1).
Education will play a vital role in creating an NHS workforce for the 21st century. The article points out that implementing all recommendations of the Topol review might be a “Herculean” task if left to the NHS alone. It needs therefore to be supported by medical and nursing schools, who urgently need to rethink both how they teach and assess future healthcare workers. The Review mentions the need for a complete rethinking of the skills required as a prospective healthcare worker – from sheer academic excellence towards digital literacy and data analysis. This needs to also be reflected in assessments: instead of testing knowledge recall alone, more data analytical skills and digital literacy should be tested. The UKMLA should take the opportunity and become the first medical licensing exam for doctors of the digital era.
When change is suggested, the effort of implementing it is often highlighted disproportionally. That incorporating new skills doesn’t need to be a “Herculean task” has been shown by medical and computing students from Imperial College London, who have started taking matters into their own hands with the “Coding for Medics” society, offering courses such as “Python for Beginners” (2). Breaking the boundaries between traditionally separated university departments will likely be required when creating the new curriculum.
Another key aspect of the new curriculum needs to be patient communication in the digital era. It is important that medical students know how to accurately extract information from, and communicate facts back to patients via digital platforms such as video chat or other digital formats. That this is a matter of urgency can again be highlighted using the example of GP at Hand, which already delivers online-only consultations.
We hope that the medical schools across the UK read this great Review and implement the recommendations for education promptly. This will prevent the NHS having to submit to private innovation, and instead it might emerge as a key player in leading the global healthcare revolution.
(1) Iacobucci Gareth. GP at Hand: commissioning group plans to cut extended hours at other practices BMJ 2019; 364 :l585
Dear sir/madam,
I note with great interest the Topol review of technology in the NHS.
As a junior doctor with a background in computer science, I have attempted to involve myself in a number of technology-based projects within my hospital. The gargantuan administrative burden of attempting these projects was prohibitive to their implementation.
If the NHS truly hopes to enable grass-roots medical technology innovations and not just those from academic or commercial organisations, this burden must be lifted to allow flexible, patient-focused development.
Re: Technology will improve doctors’ relationships with patients, says Topol review
We thank Ms Rimmer for her summary of, and congratulate the Secretary of State for commissioning the Topol Review. We hope that this finally starts the much-needed change in creating an NHS that is a world leader in healthcare digitalisation.
We agree with Topol et al. in that it is quintessential for the NHS to not just appreciate digital medicine but lead in innovation or it will become subject to unintentional privatisation. A good example of this is Babylon-owned GP at Hand, which already has forced the Hammersmith and Fulham CCG to adapt their spending (1).
Education will play a vital role in creating an NHS workforce for the 21st century. The article points out that implementing all recommendations of the Topol review might be a “Herculean” task if left to the NHS alone. It needs therefore to be supported by medical and nursing schools, who urgently need to rethink both how they teach and assess future healthcare workers. The Review mentions the need for a complete rethinking of the skills required as a prospective healthcare worker – from sheer academic excellence towards digital literacy and data analysis. This needs to also be reflected in assessments: instead of testing knowledge recall alone, more data analytical skills and digital literacy should be tested. The UKMLA should take the opportunity and become the first medical licensing exam for doctors of the digital era.
When change is suggested, the effort of implementing it is often highlighted disproportionally. That incorporating new skills doesn’t need to be a “Herculean task” has been shown by medical and computing students from Imperial College London, who have started taking matters into their own hands with the “Coding for Medics” society, offering courses such as “Python for Beginners” (2). Breaking the boundaries between traditionally separated university departments will likely be required when creating the new curriculum.
Another key aspect of the new curriculum needs to be patient communication in the digital era. It is important that medical students know how to accurately extract information from, and communicate facts back to patients via digital platforms such as video chat or other digital formats. That this is a matter of urgency can again be highlighted using the example of GP at Hand, which already delivers online-only consultations.
We hope that the medical schools across the UK read this great Review and implement the recommendations for education promptly. This will prevent the NHS having to submit to private innovation, and instead it might emerge as a key player in leading the global healthcare revolution.
(1) Iacobucci Gareth. GP at Hand: commissioning group plans to cut extended hours at other practices BMJ 2019; 364 :l585
(2) https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/a-to-z/coding-medics
Competing interests: No competing interests