JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Trust is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone for the successful implementation of digital health initiatives - from mobile applications to the use of AI in medicine - yet it remains underrepresented in educational curricula. In the course of our research on trust in digital health and health data sharing, we found a gap in teaching resources designed to support students in conducting structured trust analyses. Digitization introduces new complexities into trust relationships, as interactions become increasingly mediated by digital tools. To prepare future professionals for these challenges, students must go beyond technical expertise and develop a critical understanding of how trust functions within digital systems - especially in the health sector.

Objective:

To address this gap, we developed and tested the first Trust Analysis Canvas for Teaching (TACT), a tool designed to guide students in conducting trust analyses of case studies in digital public health and medicine. Given the cross-cutting nature of trust-related issues, TACT was also designed to be accessible to students across a range of disciplinary backgrounds and academic levels, while remaining visually intuitive and engaging.

Methods:

Grounded in conceptual research on trust in health systems and health data sharing, we: (1) developed the canvas content and reviewed it with two trust researchers; (2) tested and iteratively refined the tool with 23 students (3 BSc, 14 MSc, 6 PhD) from diverse disciplines and academic levels through in-person and online focus groups at the Universities of Zurich and Bern, using digital public health and medicine case studies; (3) collaborated with a graphic designer to optimize its visual layout; and (4) translated the final canvas into French, Italian, German, and Spanish to enhance accessibility and broader usability.

Results:

The resulting canvas comprises 16 guiding questions organized around six core themes, designed to support students in conducting trust analyses of case studies in digital public health and medicine.

Conclusions:

TACT enables students to engage with the complex concept of trust in a guided and structured manner. It promotes participatory learning by encouraging active problem-solving and critical thinking, supporting students from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and academic levels in analyzing trust relationships within the context of digital public health and medicine.