FEEDBACK AS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT IN FORMING DIGITAL COMPETENCIES AMONG MEDICAL EDUCATION LEARNERS IN INFORMATION DISCIPLINES

The article presents the results of a study on medical students’ perception and evaluation of the course of Medical Informatics at Bukovinian State Medical University. The aim was to identify factors influencing students’ learning experience and to analyze the role of the discipline in developing professional competencies. The research was conducted in the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic years among second-year medical students (n=68) through anonymous surveys using Google Forms. The methodology combined theoretical analysis of sources with empirical methods (pedagogical observation, questionnaires) and statistical processing. Findings revealed that topics related to medical information systems generated the highest interest and were considered most professionally relevant (80.9% of respondents), whereas algorithmization and statistical data analysis were perceived as the most difficult (54.4% and 60.3% respectively). Cohort differences in responses reflected variations in prior training and educational conditions. Importantly, students recognized the necessity of digital competencies for future practice, even when mastering them was challenging. The overall rating of the discipline averaged 3.94±0.02 on a five-point scale, with no statistically significant differences between cohorts. The conclusions emphasize the need for continuous updating of course content in line with the challenges of digital healthcare, the development of practice-oriented tasks, and interdisciplinary integration. Future research perspectives include assessing expectations of postgraduate students regarding digital competence, evaluating residual skills after the master’s level, and determining the necessity of expanding hours dedicated to Medical Informatics and related disciplines.