The widening gap between the digital capability of the care workforce and technology-enabled healthcare delivery: a nursing and allied health analysis

MORRIS, Meg E, BRUSCO, Natasha K, JONES, Jeff, TAYLOR, Nicholas F, EAST, Christine E, SEMCIW, Adam I, EDVARDSSON, Kristina, THWAITES, Clare, BOURKE, Sharon L, KHAN, Urooj Raza, FOWLER-DAVIS, Sally and OLDENBURG, Brian (2023). The widening gap between the digital capability of the care workforce and technology-enabled healthcare delivery: a nursing and allied health analysis. Healthcare, 11 (7): 994.

[img]
Preview
PDF
Fowler-Davis-WideningGapBetween(VoR).pdf - Published Version
Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (1MB) | Preview
Official URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/7/994
Open Access URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/7/994/pdf?versio... (Published version)
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11070994

Abstract

There is a need to ensure that healthcare organizations enable their workforces to use digital methods in service delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the current level of digital understanding and ability in nursing, midwifery, and allied health workforces and identify some of the training requirements to improve digital literacy in these health professionals. Representatives from eight healthcare organizations in Victoria, Australia, participated in focus groups. Three digital frameworks informed the focus group topic guide that sought to examine the barriers and enablers to adopting digital healthcare along with training requirements to improve digital literacy. Twenty-three participants self-rated digital knowledge and skills using Likert scales and attended the focus groups. Mid-range scores were given for digital ability in nursing, midwifery, and allied health professionals. Focus group participants expressed concern over the gap between their organizations’ adoption of digital methods, relative to their digital ability and there were concerns about cyber security. Participants also saw a need for the inclusion of consumers in digital design. Given the widening gap between digital innovation and health workforce digital capability, there is a need to accelerate digital literacy by rapidly deploying education and training and policies and procedures for dig-ital service delivery.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 32 Biomedical and clinical sciences; 42 Health sciences
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11070994
SWORD Depositor: Symplectic Elements
Depositing User: Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited: 29 Mar 2023 14:11
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2023 16:01
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/31707

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics