Postgraduate digital health training programs for primary care physicians: a scoping review protocol
File(s)
Published
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Introduction
The digital transformation of healthcare has created an urgent need for primary care physicians (PCPs) to acquire competencies in digital health. However, the structure and scope of postgraduate training programs remain poorly defined and unevenly implemented worldwide, and no scoping review has yet synthesized the evidence. This review aims to map existing postgraduate digital health training programs for PCPs, including their content, structure, and delivery approaches.
Methods and analysis:
This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and adhere to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. A systematic search will be conducted across five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) and relevant grey literature, covering publications from January 2019 to June 2025. Studies describing postgraduate digital health training programs for PCPs will be eligible for inclusion. Data will be extracted and synthesized descriptively and thematically using an inductive approach.
Ethics and dissemination:
As this study is based on a review of publicly available literature, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations and will inform future curriculum development and policy in digital health education for PCPs. The results may also inform national curriculum reforms and accreditation standards, supporting more consistent and competency-based digital health education globally.
Registration details:
This scoping review protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF), and it is available under the DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/HDC3P [1].
The digital transformation of healthcare has created an urgent need for primary care physicians (PCPs) to acquire competencies in digital health. However, the structure and scope of postgraduate training programs remain poorly defined and unevenly implemented worldwide, and no scoping review has yet synthesized the evidence. This review aims to map existing postgraduate digital health training programs for PCPs, including their content, structure, and delivery approaches.
Methods and analysis:
This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and adhere to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. A systematic search will be conducted across five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) and relevant grey literature, covering publications from January 2019 to June 2025. Studies describing postgraduate digital health training programs for PCPs will be eligible for inclusion. Data will be extracted and synthesized descriptively and thematically using an inductive approach.
Ethics and dissemination:
As this study is based on a review of publicly available literature, ethical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations and will inform future curriculum development and policy in digital health education for PCPs. The results may also inform national curriculum reforms and accreditation standards, supporting more consistent and competency-based digital health education globally.
Registration details:
This scoping review protocol has been registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF), and it is available under the DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/HDC3P [1].
Date Issued
2026-01-22
Date Acceptance
2025-12-18
Citation
BMJ Open, 2026, 16 (1)
ISSN
2044-6055
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
BMJ Open
Volume
16
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109715
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
109715
Date Publish Online
2026-01-22