MAO Xingrun 1,2 , LI Jianru 1,2 , HE Shiyan 1,2 , XIA Yong 1,2 , YANG Yonghong 1,2 , HE Hongchen 1,2 , WEI Quan 1,2 , HE Chengqi 1,2 , ZHU Siyi 1,2
  • 1. Rehabilitation Medicine Center and Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P. R. China;
  • 2. Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Medicine in Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P. R. China;
ZHU Siyi, Email: hxkfzsy@scu.edu.cn
Intelligent digital rehabilitation; medical-engineering interdisciplinary; postgraduate education
10.7507/1002-0179.202511147
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Objective  To explore the training framework for medical-engineering interdisciplinary postgraduate students during their early education phase from the perspective of “digital and intelligent rehabilitation”, investigate pedagogical reforms centered on the corresponding curriculum, evaluate the students’ digital health awareness, perception of professional relevance, and attitudes toward future industry trends, and provide empirical evidence for optimizing early-stage training systems. Methods  A total of 111 postgraduate students enrolled in the course Medical Technology Integration and Innovation: Intelligent Medicine and Rehabilitation during the 2022-2024 autumn semesters were included as study subjects. Pre- and post-course questionnaires assessed digital health cognition, professional demands, technological relevance, and future-oriented attitudes. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 20.0 software. Results  The 111 students included 19 from the 2022 academic year, 39 from the 2023 academic year, and 53 from the 2024 academic year. In each academic year, the student population consisted predominantly of females (>70%) and first-year learners (>90%). Prior to the course, most students were unfamiliar with digital health; only 6, 11, and 24 students from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 academic years, respectively, reported having some knowledge of digital health, though most were merely aware of or had only heard of the concept. From the 2022 to 2024 academic years, the proportions of students who reported having a general understanding of the definition of digital health were 83.3% (5/6), 54.5% (6/11), and 41.7% (10/24), respectively. Over 85% of students in each academic year believed that their profession “needs” digital health technologies across four dimensions: patient-facing services, healthcare provider services, management systems, and data services. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (2022 academic year: 100.0%; 2023 academic year: 90.9%; 2024 academic year: 98.0%), cloud computing and big data (2022 academic year: 100.0%; 2023 academic year: 93.9%; 2024 academic year: 100.0%), and sensors and wearable devices (2022 academic year: 87.5%; 2023 academic year: 87.9%; 2024 academic year: 96.1%) were considered highly relevant to their profession. The proportion of students holding a “very open” attitude increased significantly after the course (2022 academic year: from 47.4% to 58.8%; 2023 academic year: from 33.3% to 40.0%; 2024 academic year: from 45.3% to 70.0%). Conclusions  The “Digital and Intelligent Rehabilitation” course may expand students’ professional knowledge breadth and depth during early training, strengthen their comprehension of medical-engineering integration, and foster positive industry engagement attitudes. These findings provide actionable insights and empirical validation for developing systematic, differentiated early-phase training frameworks for medical-engineering interdisciplinary education.

Citation： MAO Xingrun, LI Jianru, HE Shiyan, XIA Yong, YANG Yonghong, HE Hongchen, WEI Quan, HE Chengqi, ZHU Siyi. Exploration of the early training system for medical-engineering interdisciplinary postgraduates in the context of “intelligent digital rehabilitation”. West China Medical Journal, 2026, 41(6): 977-982. doi: 10.7507/1002-0179.202511147 Copy

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