Health Systems Science Competencies for Korean Medicine Education: Three-Round Delphi and Nominal Group Techniques

Abstract Background Despite the increasing emphasis on the moral character of healthcare professionals, there remains a lack of consensus on the conceptual framework of education in medical humanities and social medicine (MHSM). The framework of health systems science (HSS), which involves four foundational domains and seven core functional domains, aims to strengthen the professional competence and social responsibility of Korean medicine education. On the basis of the HSS framework, this study aims to develop competencies in Korean medicine education for MHSM. Methods A total of 20 experts related to Korean medicine participated in three rounds of the Delphi study and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). The experts were basic Korean medicine professors, clinical Korean medicine professors, experts in Korean medicine education, and primary care clinicians. In Round 1, the experts answered the survey about competencies on the basis of the HSS framework. In Rounds 2 and 3, the experts rated their agreement with the competencies revised in the previous rounds. In the NGT, the competencies that had not reached a consensus in the Delphi study were subsequently reviewed by four experts, one from each category. Results In Round 1, five HSS domains and 11 competencies did not meet the content validity criteria. The domain names and the meaning of the domains were revised after the feedback from the expert panels was reviewed. Consensus was not achieved for three HSS domains and eight competencies in Round 2 or three HSS domains and four competencies in Round 3. After the NGT, four competencies were updated to reach a consensus on finalizing 28 final competencies. Conclusions This study introduces 28 final competencies to cultivate literacy in MHSM. These final competencies are specifically set for the Foundational Domains and Core Functional Domains in the HSS framework. This study is expected to provide a basis for future research on MHSM in Korean medicine education. Graphical abstract