TY - JOUR
AU - V. Ekstrom
A1 - 
AB - Health care has widely adopted behavioral economics to influence clinical practice, with documented success using defaults and social comparison feedback in electronic health records. However, online medical education, now the dominant modality for continuing professional development, remains designed on assumptions of rational learning that behavioral science has disproven in clinical contexts. This viewpoint examines the paradox of applying sophisticated behavioral insights to clinical work while designing digital learning environments as if learners are immune to cognitive limitations. We propose digital choice architecture for medical education: intentional integration of behavioral design principles into learning management systems and online platforms. Drawing from clinical nudge units and implementation science, we demonstrate how defaults, social norms, and commitment devices can be systematically applied to digital continuing education. As medical education becomes increasingly technology-mediated, behavioral science provides the theoretical foundation and practical tools for designing online learning environments that align with how clinicians actually make decisions.
AD - Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Singapore General Hospital, 20 College Road, Singapore, 169856, Singapore, 65 63214684.; Medical Humanities Institute, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
AN - 41650469
BT - JMIR Med Educ
C5 - Education & Workforce; HIT & Telehealth
DA - Feb 6
DO - 10.2196/86497
DP - NLM
ET - 20260206
JF - JMIR Med Educ
LA - eng
N2 - Health care has widely adopted behavioral economics to influence clinical practice, with documented success using defaults and social comparison feedback in electronic health records. However, online medical education, now the dominant modality for continuing professional development, remains designed on assumptions of rational learning that behavioral science has disproven in clinical contexts. This viewpoint examines the paradox of applying sophisticated behavioral insights to clinical work while designing digital learning environments as if learners are immune to cognitive limitations. We propose digital choice architecture for medical education: intentional integration of behavioral design principles into learning management systems and online platforms. Drawing from clinical nudge units and implementation science, we demonstrate how defaults, social norms, and commitment devices can be systematically applied to digital continuing education. As medical education becomes increasingly technology-mediated, behavioral science provides the theoretical foundation and practical tools for designing online learning environments that align with how clinicians actually make decisions.
PY - 2026
SN - 2369-3762
SP - e86497
ST - Digital Choice Architecture in Medical Education: Applying Behavioral Economics to Online Learning Environments
T1 - Digital Choice Architecture in Medical Education: Applying Behavioral Economics to Online Learning Environments
T2 - JMIR Med Educ
TI - Digital Choice Architecture in Medical Education: Applying Behavioral Economics to Online Learning Environments
U1 - Education & Workforce; HIT & Telehealth
U3 - 10.2196/86497
VL - 12
VO - 2369-3762
Y1 - 2026
ER -