醫護教育科技現況與展望

Current Status and Prospects for Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Allied Health Education

本文整理近年來運用於醫護教育領域的相關科技，從中梳理並介紹深具影響力的醫護教育科技。本文依據教育內容和教育方式，將其分為三部分：線上線下數位教育，如大型開放線上課程（massive open online courses）或是使用CD-ROM 形式|行動學習（mobile learning or mobile digital education），如使用手機、平板電腦或是其他各式連結物聯網的感測器設備|數位模擬教育，如虛擬實境（virtual reality）、虛擬病人模擬（virtual patient simulation）、遊戲化學習（serious gaming and gamification），已有一些研究應用上述教育科技有正向的成果。為了理解新科技能帶來何種影響，建議相關醫護教育工作者，應該持續導入實務課程，以評估其對於學習的影響。然而，現今仍有二項威脅需克服：財政預算有限與少子高齡化問題。

In this article, technologies that have been widely adopted and used in the field of allied health education in recent years are identified and introduced. These technologies may be distinguished based on education content and approach into the following three categories: online-offline digital education, which uses massive open online courses, CD-ROM, and similar learning tools| mobile learning, which uses mobile phones, tablets, and other devices to connect to the Internet of things| and digital simulation education, which uses virtual reality, virtual patient simulation, serious gaming, and gamification. Preliminary positive findings regarding the effectiveness of using the above technologies have been reported in the literature. Therefore, to better understand the impact of new technology, it is recommended that relevant medical/nursing educators should continue introducing practical courses to evaluate their impact on learning. However, funding limitations and the declining birthrate / population aging are two key threats to education that remain to be effectively addressed and overcome.