Expert Consensus: Telehealth Skills for Health Care Professionals

TLDR

The COVID‑19 pandemic accelerated virtual care adoption across practice sizes, yet many clinicians and organizations lack the foundational skills needed for routine telehealth delivery. The study aims to define the essential telehealth competencies required for clinicians. AAMC experts conducted a structured literature review and a modified Delphi process to reach consensus on a set of critical telehealth skills. The resulting consensus skill set offers providers and health systems a framework to prepare clinicians for current and future telehealth care.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has driven most clinicians, from those practicing in small independent practices to those in large system, to adopt virtual care. However, individuals and organizations may lack the experience and skills that would be considered fundamental prerequisites to adopting telehealth in less urgent times. What are those skills? Before the pandemic, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) convened national experts to identify and articulate a consensus set of critical telehealth skills for clinicians. Methods: Through a structured review of the literature, followed by several rounds of review and refinement by committee and community members via a modified Delphi process, the committee came to consensus on a set of skills required by clinicians to provide quality care via telehealth. Conclusion: The consensus set of telehealth skills presented in this paper, developed by the AAMC and national experts, can serve providers and health systems seeking to ensure that clinicians are prepared to meet the demand for care delivered via telehealth now and in the future.