Page 235 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

Culturally Sensitive and Congruent Digital Learning Initiative

fying key terms and frameworks as well as introducing cases according to
the author experience regarding this topic and presenting a routing guide
to developing culturally sensitive and congruent digital learning initiatives
for health professionals that could be applied worldwide by outlining expe-
riencial learning and good practices from projects conducted across Europe.
Once having read this chapter the questions and reflections that come up
should make readers wonder if the digital learning initiatives they use and
apply daily, could be considered as culturally sensitive and congruent, and if
they really fit with the recommendations, principles and characteristics pre-
sented.

The Bridge Between European Health Professions’ Education
and Digital Health
Digitalisation has brought both significant challenges and opportunities in
the last years, fundamentally shaping the contemporary educational land-
scape. However, digitalisation applied to health professions’ education and
trainingship does not only consist on using digital tools with future and
current health professionals. It seems obvious that a new scope, framework
and major assumptions should be developed and thus understood under
the umbrella of a broader term such as digital health. In line with this, the
Regional Digital Health Action Plan for the World Health Organization (WHO)
European Region 2023–2030 published in september  (World Health Or-
gaanization, ) aimed to contribute to the achievement of health-related
and education-related Sustainable Development Goals, the WHO European
Programme of Work 2020–2025 (World Health Orgaanization, 1), the WHO
Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2025 (World Health Orgaaniza-
tion, 19); as well as the operationalization of the previous WHO Global strat-
egy on digital health 2020–2025. The last Action Plan submitted in  intends
to support countries in leveraging and scaling up digital transformation for
better health and in aligning digital technology investment decisions with
their health and educational systems’ needs, while fully respecting the val-
ues of equity, solidarity and human rights. The vision of the global strategy is
to improve health outcomes for everyone, everywhere, with the recognition
of the cultural differences and similarities, by accelerating the development
and adoption of appropriate, accessible, affordable, scalable and sustainable
person-centred digital health solutions to prevent, detect and respond to
epidemics and pandemics, and developing infrastructure and applications
that enable countries to use health data to promote health and wellbeing.
Therefore it not only consists on providing health professionals and future

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