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Communication is a crucial element of every health care profession, rendering communication skills training in all health care professions as being of great importance. Technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) and particularly machine learning (ML) may support this cause: it may provide students with an opportunity for easily accessible and readily available communication training. This scoping review aimed to summarize the status quo regarding the use of AI or ML in the acquisition of communication skills in academic health care professions. We conducted a comprehensive literature search across the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection, and CINAHL databases to identify articles that covered the use of AI or ML in communication skills training of undergraduate students pursuing health care profession education. Using an inductive approach, the included studies were organized into distinct categories. The specific characteristics of the studies, methods and techniques used by AI or ML applications, and main outcomes of the studies were evaluated. Furthermore, supporting and hindering factors in the use of AI and ML for communication skills training of health care professionals were outlined. The titles and abstracts of 385 studies were identified, of which 29 (7.5%) underwent full-text review. Of the 29 studies, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 (3.1%) were included. The studies were organized into 3 distinct categories: studies using AI and ML for text analysis and information extraction, studies using AI and ML and virtual reality, and studies using AI and ML and the simulation of virtual patients, each within the academic training of the communication skills of health care professionals. Within these thematic domains, AI was also used for the provision of feedback. The motivation of the involved agents played a major role in the implementation process. Reported barriers to the use of AI and ML in communication skills training revolved around the lack of authenticity and limited natural flow of language exhibited by the AI- and ML-based virtual patient systems. Furthermore, the use of educational AI- and ML-based systems in communication skills training for health care professionals is currently limited to only a few cases, topics, and clinical domains. The use of AI and ML in communication skills training for health care professionals is clearly a growing and promising field with a potential to render training more cost-effective and less time-consuming. Furthermore, it may serve learners as an individualized and readily available exercise method. However, in most cases, the outlined applications and technical solutions are limited in terms of access, possible scenarios, the natural flow of a conversation, and authenticity. These issues still stand in the way of any widespread implementation ambitions.

Background Digital teaching methods are established for imparting theoretical knowledge in the training of health professions. While digital formats are increasingly used in education, evidence on their capacity to teach practical and hands-on skills remains limited. It is unclear to what extent digital teaching methods can support the training of practical skills. This scoping review aimed to identify the digital teaching methods used to teach practical skills in the academic training of health professions and to offer an initial evaluation of their effectiveness. Methods A comprehensive literature search was performed in June 2023 using the PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection and CINAHL databases. An update of this initial search was performed in April 2025. Original studies on the digital teaching of practical skills in undergraduate academic training for health professions, published in German or English, were included. The studies were analyzed with regard to teaching methods, areas of application, authors and year, intervention used, outcomes and results. Results Out of 2,544 records, 292 studies were included. Interventions comprised simulators ( n  = 65), blended/hybrid teaching methods ( n  = 55), virtual reality ( n  = 48), e-learning platforms ( n  = 36), video-based teaching formats ( n  = 19), telecommunication tools ( n  = 18), mobile applications ( n  = 13), robotic simulators ( n  = 10), serious games or gamified learning ( n  = 10), specialized tools ( n  = 6), interactive learning systems ( n  = 6) and augmented reality ( n  = 6). 75% of the studies focused on medical education, followed by student training in nursing (18%) and physiotherapy (3%). The most common study designs were randomized controlled trials (42%), quasi-experimental designs (34%) and quantitative-descriptive designs (12%). Learning outcomes were predominantly assessed through knowledge tests, practical examinations (e.g., OSCEs) and participants' self-assessments. Across the included studies, most digital teaching methods demonstrated positive effects on the acquisition of practical skills, particularly simulation-based, VR-supported or otherwise interactive formats. The magnitude and consistency of these effects varied substantially across disciplines and study designs. Conclusions Digital teaching methods offer promising approaches to support the training of practical skills, with interactive, simulation-based, and VR-supported formats showing particularly positive effects. Nevertheless, longitudinal studies examining the retention of practical skills over time remain scarce. Digital teaching methods should be specifically tailored to the practical skills being taught, making use of available resources.

Background eHealth may help closing gaps in the long-term follow-up care of former young age cancer patients. While its introduction to medical aftercare appears promising, it also faces obstacles in the course of its implementation. This study explored what prospective eHealth applications have to achieve and what facilitating and hindering factors are associated with the implementation of them. Methods A qualitative, explorative-descriptive design involving semi-structured interviews was used in this study. General practitioners (GPs) from urban and rural areas as well as former cancer patients were recruited and interviewed. The interview guide focused on expectations of telemedical care services for the patient group of children and adolescents as well as potential facilitating and hindering factors of the implementation of telemedical care services for former cancer patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed on the basis of qualitative content analysis as described by Kuckartz. Results Empiric saturation was reached after 25 interviews, respectively. The age of the physicians surveyed at the time of the interviews ranged from 27 to 71 years, with an average of 42 years. The former patients ranged in age from 21 to 43 at the time of participation, with an average age of 34. The age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 31 years. eHealth services were considered an effective way to maintain continuity of care and improve the health literacy of cancer survivors. Cooperation with health insurance companies and gamification-elements were regarded as beneficial for the introduction of eHealth structures. Poor interface compatibility, insufficient network coverage and lack of digital literacy were valued as potential barriers. Conclusions If properly introduced, eHealth shows the potential to provide stakeholders with tools that increase their self-efficacy and ability to act. As the technology continues to advance, our data provides application-oriented factors for tailored implementation strategies to bring eHealth into the field.

ObjectiveThis study examines the effect of mobile work on work ability as direct predictor and as factor moderating workplace stressors and resources. Originally, the study focused on the effects of mobile work on work ability in a mobile test group compared to office workers. As the study period of 1 year collided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions, we can now explore the association of mobile work and work ability before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis longitudinal, exploratory study took place in a medium-sized company in the social insurance sector in Germany. We used a mixed-methods design (online survey and focus group interviews) with two survey dates 1 year apart (T0: summer/autumn 2019 (before COVID-19 pandemic), T1: summer 2020 (during COVID-19 pandemic, after first strict lockdown)). Quantitative data, which are reported here, were collected by means of an online questionnaire, which includes questions on mobile work and validated measures for work-related stressors and resources and work ability. Non-parametric tests, regression analysis, and logistic regression models were used for data analysis.ResultsThe linked data set of both survey dates includes N = 102 persons (men: 37%, mean age: 41–50 years). Interestingly, we found an improvement in work ability over the course of the study (p = 0.007), although it included the first and most drastic COVID-19 restrictions in Germany. Before the pandemic, correlations between work ability and work-related stressors (e.g., work–privacy conflicts) and resources (e.g., sense of community) were evident. Some of these factors are moderated by mobile work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile work was identified as independent factor for work ability. In addition, technology competence conviction gained importance as a personal resource in our cohort.ConclusionsWork ability can be influenced by many factors. Our study, which allowed for a comparison of work ability before and during COVID-19 pandemic, suggests that mobile work can be especially helpful to maintain work ability in times of change. Our findings support the notion that—under normal conditions—mobile work can influence work ability via work-related stressors and resources. In times of changes, it can have an independent effect on work ability. It must be assumed that the effects can be highly individual or context-specific.

Working digitally can lead to changes in work organization and social interactions, as well as work pace and workload. Online counseling is more and more integrated in social counseling. Research exists on employees’ and users’ attitudes towards online counseling as well as on the advantages and disadvantages of online counseling. There is a lack of studies on the stressors and strains caused by the increasing digitalization and the associated health consequences in this context. With an interview study, we investigated the general work situation of counselors, with a focus on stressors, strain, and resources caused by online counseling. Consecutively, we discuss the results in relation to their impact on workplace health management. Twenty-two explorative interviews with counselors from a German welfare organization were conducted in 2019 and 2020. Qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was used for analysis. Counselors’ use of online devices depends on their own digital affinity and is likely to be used when advantages for clients are seen. Difficulties were mentioned in establishing a relationship of trust with the clients. Good teamwork and regular informal exchanges among colleagues contribute to job satisfaction. Overall, we found only few health-related effects. Results of the study suggest that digitization can have positive effects on the job satisfaction of counselors, if the associated changes are supported by organizational measures.

Mobile work is becoming increasingly common, and it has been, consequently, associated with new health-related hazards and resources. Our study examined health-related stresses, strains and resources of mobile work in a medium-sized company. The study aimed to generate implications for a work agreement and for workplace health management (WHM). For this, a multi-method longitudinal study (2019–20) was conducted, with 29 focus group and 6 individual interviews (absolute number of all participants N = 187). It was designed as a qualitative content analysis and theoretically based on the job demands-resources model (JD-R). Positive effects (e.g., increased work–life balance, higher concentration), as well as negative consequences (e.g., alienation in the team, communication effort), can be found. Numerous fields of action for both the work agreement and WHM could be identified. For example, the work agreement regulates the equipment for working from home with support from WHM in order to ensure occupational health-oriented selection and handling, or by fixing core working hours through the work agreement and supporting competence building for leaders in order to enable flexible work commitments for employees. Self-organised work at home can be supported both by rules in the service agreement and by building up self-management skills through the WHM’s offers. The findings illustrate that a work agreement can make a relevant contribution to a healthy design of mobile work by systematically linking it with WHM. The synergies between work agreement, employee health and WHM become clear.

Orthopaedic insoles (OI) are used to treat a variety of foot problems. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the perceptions of the treatment with OI among the manufacturers of the OIs, the orthopaedic technicians (OT). OT from the federal states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony in Germany were invited to take part in a survey. The questions included, among others, the number of prescriptions for the production of an OI per month and the materials used. Descriptive statistics, subgroup analyses and a linear regression analysis were performed. Of the 312 questionnaires distributed, 159 were completed (response rate 51%). Most of the respondents were male (80%). The average age of the participants was 50. On average, OT produced 290 OI per month, with plastic being the most commonly used material (73%). OT with less than 20 years of professional experience are more likely to follow the doctor's instructions when producing OI than OT with more than 20 years of professional experience. The latter are more likely to base their decisions regarding the manufacture and issuing of OI on their own experience. The production and issuing process of OI differs among OT. The different professional perspectives of the OT could play a role here, as does the lack of a standardized procedure. The factors listed in this study represent potential starting points for future research projects that could contribute to the development of evidence-based standards.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Orthopädische Einlagen (OE) werden zur Behandlung einer Vielzahl von Fußproblemen eingesetzt. Fragestellung Ziel dieser Querschnittsstudie war es, die Wahrnehmungen zur Versorgung mit OE unter den Herstellern der OE, den Orthopädietechniker*innen (OT), zu untersuchen. Methodik OT aus den Bundesländern Schleswig-Holstein und Niedersachsen in Deutschland wurden eingeladen, an einem Fragebogen teilzunehmen. Die Fragen umfassten, unter anderem, die Menge der Verordnungen zur Herstellung einer OE pro Monat sowie die verwendeten Materialien. Es wurden deskriptive Statistiken, Subgruppenanalysen sowie eine lineare Regressionsanalyse durchgeführt. Ergebnisse Von den 312 verteilten Fragebögen wurden 159 vollständig ausgefüllt (Rücklaufquote 51 %). Die meisten der Befragten waren männlich (80 %). Das Durchschnittsalter lag bei 50 Jahren. Im Durchschnitt stellten die OT 290 OE pro Monat her, wobei Kunststoff das am häufigsten verwendete Material war (73 %). OT mit einer Berufserfahrung von weniger als 20 Jahren kommen bei der Herstellung von OE eher den ärztlichen Vorgaben nach als OT mit mehr als 20 Jahren Berufserfahrung. Letztere stützen ihre Entscheidungen bei der Herstellung sowie Ausgabe von OE eher auf eigene Erfahrungen. Schlussfolgerungen Der Herstellungs- und Ausgabeprozess von OE gestaltet sich im Vergleich der OT unterschiedlich. Verschiedene berufliche Perspektiven der OT könnten hierbei eine Rolle spielen. Ebenso der Mangel eines standardisierten Vorgehens.