Factors Associated With Canadian Nurses' Informatics Competency

Healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and associated factors: A cross-sectional study

AIMS

To identify healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and explore associated factors to digital health competence in healthcare settings.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Data were collected from 817 healthcare professionals from nine organizations with an electronic questionnaire by using Digital Health Competence instrument (42 items) and Aspects Associated with Digital Health instrument (15 items) between 1st March and 31st July 2022. K-means clustering was used to describe digital health competence profiles. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore associated factors.

RESULTS

Analysis revealed three digital health competence profiles: A - high competence (n = 336), B - intermediate competence (n = 352) and C - low competence (n = 129). Between the profiles, digital health competence showed significant differences (p < .001). Recent graduation year, working in outpatient environments and leader or specialist position were associated with higher digital health competence. Organizational practices and the influence from colleagues improved competence in human-centred remote counselling, digital solutions as part of work, competence in utilizing and evaluating digital solutions and ethical competence. Support from management improved digital solutions as part of work and ethical competence.

CONCLUSION

Nursing and allied health professionals working in other than outpatient environments should be specifically acknowledged when digital health competence development initiatives are designed and targeted. The positive influence from colleagues could be harnessed by enhancing their involvement in digital health competence development methods such as orientation, mentoring or coaching. Additionally, managers should take a stronger role in supporting different areas of digital health competence.

IMPACT

This was the first study that explored healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and associated factors. The detection of healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles guides the development of digital health education according to different needs in healthcare environments.

REPORTING METHOD

The study has adhered to STROBE guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No patient or public contribution.

Sustainable integration of digitalisation in nursing education-an international scoping review

Introduction

Trainees and teachers at nursing schools as well as nursing professionals are increasingly facing new challenges as a result of the digital transformation. Opportunities for the entire care system exist in the improvement of care quality and communication between those involved. However, this change also harbours risks, such as the use of immature digital applications in the care sector, data theft and industrial espionage. In order to be able to exploit the potential of digitalisation despite these risks, it is necessary to integrate relevant aspects such as digital skills into nursing training. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which the sustainable integration of digitalisation in nursing education is discussed.

Methods

The methods of the systematic literature and database search were carried out in the form of a scoping review according to the PRISMA scheme. The PubMed and CINAHL databases were used for this purpose. The search period covered the years 2017-2023.

Findings

After screening the titles and abstracts using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 13 studies were included in the synthesis of findings. The international literature focuses on content areas that highlight trends in digitalisation-related training in nursing. These focal points include concept development, considering the heterogeneity of demand constellations, as well as the reflexive reorientation of existing competences, whereby the technological competence of teachers is not disregarded. Other focal points relate to the initiation of digital skills in training and maintaining the employability of older nursing staff through professional development.

Discussion

The literature research shows that there is a rudimentary discussion about digitalisation and curricular developments in nursing training in an international context, while the discourse in the German-language literature is less advanced. Among the sustainability desiderata derived from the literature is the involvement of nursing professionals in the development, testing and implementation of digital technologies. Only through active cooperation between nursing professionals and nursing sciences can the topic of digitalisation be integrated into the education and training of professional nursing in a targeted and future-oriented manner, whereby the focus should always be on the ability to deal with digital technologies and the associated change.

Nursing informatics competency and its associated factors among palliative care nurses: an online survey in mainland China

BACKGROUND

Nursing informatics (NI) competency is a required core competency for high-quality care in digitally enabled healthcare environments. Given the increasing reliance on digital health in palliative care settings, it becomes crucial to evaluate the NI competency of nurses to ensure the seamless integration and effective utilization of digital health in their clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the level of NI competency and explore its associated factors among palliative care nurses in mainland China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was conducted for this study, involving a total of 409 palliative care nurses from 302 hospitals in mainland China. Anonymous data were collected through a self-designed sociodemographic questionnaire, the Nursing Informatics Competency Scale (NICS) and the Innovative Self-Efficacy Scale.

RESULTS

The total score of the NICS was 129.19 ± 22.02, which indicated that Chinese palliative care nurses had a moderate level of NI competency. There was a positive correlation between innovative self-efficacy and NI competency (r = 0.602, P < 0.01). The hospital level and innovative self-efficacy were identified as statistically significant factors influencing nurses' NI competency based on multiple linear regression analysis results. These associated factors could explain 35.1% of the difference in NI competency.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that palliative care nurses in mainland China exhibited moderate levels of NI competency and identified the hospital level and innovative self-efficacy as associated factors of nurses' NI competency. Measures such as developing supported strategies, including targeted NI training programs by nursing education managers of primary-level hospitals and creating a positive culture of innovation by healthcare institutions can be considered to improve the level of NI competency among Chinese palliative care nurses.

Exploring perceptions of digital technology and digital skills among newly registered nurses and clinical managers

BACKGROUND

Digital technology has an increasing role in healthcare, but staff lack opportunities to develop their digital skills and there is a lack of research on education and training in digital technology for staff.

AIM

To explore nurses' perceptions of the use of digital technology in their practice and to identify the digital skills required by newly registered nurses to work in a digitally enabled environment.

METHOD

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted on an online communication platform with nine participants - four newly registered nurses and five senior nurses working in clinical and/or management roles. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

FINDINGS

Several barriers and facilitators to the use of digital technology were identified, including around infrastructure, time, skills, training, support, leadership, familiarity and confidence. The use of digital technology may enhance care consistency and increase patient autonomy, but it may also erode nurse-patient relationships.

CONCLUSION

Digital technology can enhance patient care but organisational barriers, notably in relation to digital literacy training, need to be addressed for nurses to fully adopt it.

College Students' Employability, Cognition, and Demands for ChatGPT in the AI Era Among Chinese Nursing Students: Web-Based Survey

BACKGROUND

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and the widespread use of ChatGPT, nursing students' artificial intelligence quotient (AIQ), employability, cognition, and demand for ChatGPT are worthy of attention.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate Chinese nursing students' AIQ and employability status as well as their cognition and demand for the latest AI tool-ChatGPT. This study was conducted to guide future initiatives in nursing intelligence education and to improve the employability of nursing students.

METHODS

We used a cross-sectional survey to understand nursing college students' AIQ, employability, cognition, and demand for ChatGPT. Using correlation analysis and multiple hierarchical regression analysis, we explored the relevant factors in the employability of nursing college students.

RESULTS

In this study, out of 1788 students, 1453 (81.30%) had not used ChatGPT, and 1170 (65.40%) had never heard of ChatGPT before this survey. College students' employability scores were positively correlated with AIQ, self-regulation ability, and their home location and negatively correlated with school level. Additionally, men scored higher on college students' employability compared to women. Furthermore, 76.5% of the variance was explained by the multiple hierarchical regression model for predicting college students' employability scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese nursing students have limited familiarity and experience with ChatGPT, while their AIQ remains intermediate. Thus, educators should pay more attention to cultivating nursing students' AIQ and self-regulation ability to enhance their employability. Employability, especially for female students, those from rural backgrounds, and students in key colleges, deserves more attention in future educational efforts.

Nurses' Informatics Competency Assessment of Health Information System Usage: A Cross-sectional Survey

Nurses' informatics competencies are nurses' professional requirements to guarantee the quality of patient care and affect nurses' use of health information systems. The purpose of this survey was to describe nurses' perceptions of their informatics competencies regarding health information system usage. A previously tested web-based questionnaire with multiple-choice questions was sent to nurses whose e-mail address was available through three Finnish Nursing Associations (N = 58 276). A total of 3610 nurses working in Finland responded. Both descriptive and explanatory statistics were used to analyze the data. The three dependent variables "nursing documentation," "digital environment," and "ethics and data protection" were formulated from the data. Nurses' overall informatics competency was good. The "ethics and data protection" competency score was higher than that of "nursing documentation" or "digital environment." Recently graduated nurses and nurses working in outpatient care, virtual hospital, examination, or operation had highest "digital environment" competency score. Health information system experience was associated with "nursing documentation." Nurses are highly qualified health information systems users. However, the competency requirements generated by rapidly expanding digitalization have challenged nurses. It is important to increase educational programs for nurses of how to use digital devices, and how to support patients to use digital services.

Nursing informatics competence profiles and perceptions of health information system usefulness among registered nurses: A latent profile analysis

AIMS

To identify different nursing informatics competence (NIC) profiles in nurses, examine the factors associated with profile memberships and examine the associations of the derived profiles with the nurses' perception of the usefulness of a health information system (HIS).

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A sample of 3610 registered nurses responded to a nationwide survey in March 2020. A latent profile analysis was performed to identify NIC profiles based on three competence areas: nursing documentation, working in digital environment, and ethics and data protection. A multinomial logistic regression was carried out to examine the associations of demographic and background variables with the profile membership. Linear regression analyses were carried out to examine the association between the profile membership and perceived HIS usefulness.

RESULTS

Three NIC profiles were identified and labelled as low, moderate and high competence groups. A younger age, recent graduation year, sufficient orientation and high-rated proficiency as an HIS user were associated with nurses belonging to a high or moderate competence group relative to a low competence group. Competence group membership was associated with perceived HIS usefulness. The high competence group consistently expressed the highest usefulness of the HIS and the low competence group the lowest.

CONCLUSION

Tailored training and support should be provided for nurses with different levels of informatics competence, thereby facilitating their ability to respond to increasingly digitalized work. This could contribute to higher usefulness of the HIS in terms of supporting the nurses' work tasks and promoting the quality of care.

IMPACT

This was the first study exploring latent profiles of informatics competence in nurses. Insights from this study are useful for nursing management to identify different competence profiles of their employees, provide support and training to meet their needs, and promote the successful use of an HIS.

Embracing digital and technological solutions in nursing: A scoping review and conceptual framework

INTRODUCTION

Digital and technological solutions (DTS) are emerging as promising avenues to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare. This scoping review aimed to map the literature on embracing DTS in nursing, from primary to tertiary care settings.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews was used. The authors searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PROSPERO databases for published articles and relevant peer-reviewed research protocols. Screening and data abstraction were conducted by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. Frequency and thematic analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

The study highlights the crucial role nurses play in introducing, implementing, and using DTS. The summarized literature emphasizes that cultivating positive attitudes, possessing sufficient knowledge, competencies, self-efficacy, and displaying appropriate behaviors toward such technologies are vital in ensuring their effective incorporation into nursing practice.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this scoping review provide a foundation for future research on DTS adoption in nursing and support the development of evidence-based strategies to improve nursing practice through DTS implementation. Therefore, the article proposes the Digital and Technological Framework (Digitech-F) for healthcare professionals as a comprehensive conceptual framework that addresses skills, knowledge, attitude, and competence to ensure the effective adoption of DTS in nursing.

Sociotechnical Challenges of Digital Health in Nursing Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic: National Study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of digital health innovations, which has greatly impacted nursing practice. However, little is known about the use of digital health services by nurses and how this has changed during the pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the sociotechnical challenges that nurses encountered in using digital health services implemented during the pandemic and, accordingly, what digital health capabilities they expect from the emerging workforce.

METHODS

Five groups of nurses, including chief nursing information officers, nurses, clinical educators, nurse representatives at digital health vendor companies, and nurse representatives in government bodies across Australia were interviewed. They were asked about their experience of digital health during the pandemic, their sociotechnical challenges, and their expectations of the digital health capabilities of emerging nurses to overcome these challenges. Interviews were deductively analyzed based on 8 sociotechnical themes, including technical challenges, nurse-technology interaction, clinical content management, training and human resources, communication and workflow, internal policies and guidelines, external factors, and effectiveness assessment of digital health for postpandemic use.

RESULTS

Sixteen participants were interviewed. Human factors and clinical workflow challenges were highly mentioned. Nurses' lack of knowledge and involvement in digital health implementation and evaluation led to inefficient use of these technologies during the pandemic. They expected the emerging workforce to be digitally literate and actively engaged in digital health interventions beyond documentation, such as data analytics and decision-making.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses should be involved in digital health interventions to efficiently use these technologies and provide safe and quality care. Collaborative efforts among policy makers, vendors, and clinical and academic industries can leverage digital health capabilities in the nursing workforce.

Baseline evaluation of nursing students' informatics competency for digital health practice: A descriptive exploratory study

Introduction

The healthcare system is increasingly technology-dependent and proficiency in informatics skills is essential for health professionals to efficiently operate in the contemporary clinical environment. Nurses are major users of digital health technologies and graduates need to be well-prepared and confident to use the different available clinical systems competently as they transition from education to practice.

Aim

To explore undergraduate nursing students' self-perceptions of informatics competence, set within a larger research project.

Method

Descriptive, exploratory cross-sectional research design, with online self-assessment survey of undergraduate nursing students (n  =  142). Data were analysed with descriptive, correlation and comparative statistics.

Results

Participants' perceived overall mean informatics competency was at the level of somewhat competent, with only 40.84% (n  =  58) at the level of competent. The highest mean value was in foundational information and communication skills and the lowest in information and knowledge management. Formal informatics education within curriculum was limited and lacked uniformity, as was prior exposure to important simulated informatics tools in preparation for practice. Factors including academic year level, computer experience and previous experience using clinical systems had a significant impact on participants' perceived informatics competency.

Conclusion

Even though informatics competence is vital for clinical practice, with technology becoming pervasive within healthcare, nursing students' preparedness for digital health was sub-optimal. There were gaps in students' critical informatics practice knowledge with implications for work readiness of future graduates and nurse education practice.

Developing nursing students' informatics competencies - A Canadian faculty perspective

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore nursing faculty experiences in integrating digital tools to support undergraduate students' learning and development of nursing informatics competencies.

METHODS

This focused ethnography study used a combination of semi-structured interviews, document reviews, and field visits. Convenience and snowball sampling were applied to recruit participants. Data were analyzed concurrently with data collection, using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-one faculty members from nine undergraduate nursing programs in Western Canada participated. Themes discussed include: 1) meaning of the term nursing informatics, 2) faculty perceived nursing informatics competence, 3) developing students' nursing informatics competencies, 4) facilitators, and 5) challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing faculty are relatively engaged in developing students' informatics competencies. However, challenges must be addressed and faculty need more support to improve their own informatics capacity. Implications for Practice and Research: This study has implications for faculty, nursing program administrators, and nursing organizations.

Assessing Public Health Workforce Informatics Competencies: A Study of 3 District Health Departments in Georgia

CONTEXT

Despite the increased recognition of the importance of having informatics-competent public health professionals, the competency level of the public health workforce in public health informatics (PHI) has not been examined extensively in the literature.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess public health workforce informatics competencies in select Georgia health districts and determine the correlates of PHI proficiency.

METHODS

This study is based on a cross-sectional quantitative study design. We conducted an online self-administered survey of employees from 3 selected district health departments to assess proficiency in foundational PHI competency domains. Three hundred thirty-three respondents completed the survey, with a response rate of 32.5%. A gap score was calculated as a proxy to identify informatics training needs. A path analysis was conducted to assess the relationships among contextual factors and foundational PHI competency domains.

RESULTS

The public health employees participating in this study reported relatively high proficiency in foundational PHI competency. Psychometric testing of the competency assessment instrument revealed 2 foundational informatics competency domains-effective information technology (IT) use and effective use of information. The effective use of IT mediated the relationship between employee-level factors of age and past informatics training and the effective use of information.

CONCLUSION

The study highlights the importance of improving the ability of public health professionals to leverage IT and information to advance population health. Periodic assessment of staff PHI competencies can help proactively identify competency gaps and address needs for additional training. Short assessment tools, such as presented in this study, can be validated and used for such assessments.

Informatics Competency Measurement Instruments for Nursing Students: A Rapid Review

Digital transformation in healthcare impacts curricula preparation and work readiness of future health professionals. Informatics capabilities are essential practice attributes. Therefore, measurement of these competencies is important as students transition from education to practice. This rapid review, conducted according to Cochrane and World Health Organization guidelines, examined validity and reliability measurements of existing instruments used to self-assess nursing informatics competencies. MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PubMed databases were searched. Empirical studies with the primary aim of measuring informatics competencies reporting psychometric assessment were included. Methodological quality appraisal involved predetermined criteria based on COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments taxonomy. Data extraction and critical appraisal of six studies from four countries identified five instruments. Study characteristics, constructs measured, population, instrument type, and psychometric properties of interest were examined. There were some similarities and differences with instrumentation. Two important measurement properties, content validity and reliability, were underreported. Gaps in key measurement properties were identified, which require further research. Selection of a practical evaluative instrument to implement should also consider the constructs measured, and practicality and feasibility of the instrument for its suitability in different settings. A larger investigation comparing more informatics competency assessment instruments is necessary for an exhaustive analysis.

Comparing the pharmacology knowledge and performance of nurses and nursing students in the use of information resources in pediatrics wards: An observational study

Objectives:

One of the major duties of nurses is proper medication administration while maintaining patient safety, which requires sufficient knowledge and practice. Any gaps in knowledge used by nurses can lead to irreversible injury or death of the patient. This study is aimed to determine and compare the pharmacology knowledge and performance of nurses and nursing students in using the information resources in pediatrics wards.

Method:

This descriptive observational study was performed on 300 nurses and nursing students. Sources of knowledge and performance of nurses and nursing students were analyzed with researcher-made tools to determine their pharmaceutical knowledge, sources of knowledge, and attitudes by independent t-test, chi-square, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson, and Spearman tests.

Result:

Three hundred questionnaires were examined. The clinical experience of nurses and students was their most important source of information in drug challenges for 33.7% of the participants. About 24.6% of nurses obtained the required information from specialized books on pediatric medicine. About 17.1% of the participants attained their knowledge from multiple sources (e.g. various available sources such as the Internet, pharmacy books, software, and their experiences and colleagues), while electronic sources and the Internet were the sources of knowledge for 15.5% and 7.7% of the nurses, respectively. Concerning nursing students, 6.3% used books, 41.7% considered colleagues (clinical experiences), 20.8% employed electronic resources, 22.8% used the Internet, and 9.1% relied on multiple sources. There were significant differences in the knowledge and performance of the nurses based on their source of pharmacological knowledge (P < 0.05).

Conclusion:

Most of the resources used in the hospital are not up-to-date and evidence-base, and the majority of nurses tend to rely on their clinical experience or their collegues information for medication administration rather than reading books or searching for up-to-date approaches and information. Nursing students also trust nurses’ clinical experiences more than other sources provided for them including books and Internet. Some action should be taken by the managers for boosting the nurses’ tendency for using up-to-date information resources.

Technostress and Digital Competence Among Health Professionals in Swiss Psychiatric Hospitals: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Psychiatric hospitals are becoming increasingly digitized because of the disruptive rise in technical possibilities. This digitization leads to new tasks and demands for health professionals, which can have an impact on technostress. It is unclear whether digital competence reduces technostress and how technostress affects health professionals' mental and physical health.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess the association between digital competence and technostress, considering individual characteristics and the association between technostress and long-term consequences for health professionals.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from 3 Swiss psychiatric hospitals were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The dependent variables for the models were digital competence, technostress, and long-term consequences (intention to leave the organization or the profession, burnout symptoms, job satisfaction, general health status, quality of sleep, headaches, and work ability). One model was calculated for each long-term consequence. The mean scores for technostress and digital competence could range between 0 (fully disagree) and 4 (fully agree), where a high value for technostress indicated high technostress and a high value for digital competence indicated high digital competence.

RESULTS

The sample comprised 493 health professionals in psychiatric hospitals. They rated their technostress as moderate (mean 1.30, SD 0.55) and their digital competence as high (mean 2.89, SD 0.73). Digital competence was found to be significantly associated with technostress (β=-.20; P<.001). Among the individual characteristics, age (β=.004; P=.03) and profession were significantly associated with both digital competence and technostress. Technostress is a relevant predictor of burnout symptoms (β=10.32; P<.001), job satisfaction (β=-6.08; P<.001), intention to leave the profession (β=4.53; P=.002), organization (β=7.68; P<.001), general health status (β=-4.47; P<.001), quality of sleep (β=-5.87; P<.001), headaches (β=6.58; P<.001), and work ability (β=-1.40; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Physicians and nurses who have more interaction with digital technologies rate their technostress higher and their digital competence lower than those in other professions. Health professionals with low interaction with digital technologies appear to overestimate their digital competence. With increasing digitization in psychiatric hospitals, an increase in the relevance of this topic is expected. Educational organizations and psychiatric hospitals should proactively promote the digital competence of health professionals to manage expected disruptive changes.

Polish Nurses' Attitude to e-Health Solutions and Self-Assessment of Their IT Competence

In many countries, the implementation and dissemination of e-services for healthcare systems are important aspects of projects and strategies, as they contribute to significantly improving the access to such a system. The aim of the study is to analyze nurses' opinions on the application of the e-health solutions at work and the self-assessment of their IT competence. A linear stepwise regression allowed for the visualization of independent variables significantly influencing considerably the level of IT competency. Reduced IT competency was found in the group of nurses who rated the impact of the Internet and the new technologies as lower on the health care and general lives of modern people (β = 0.203; p < 0.0001), recommended e-health solutions to a lesser extent (β = 0.175; p < 0.0001), rated e-health solutions lower in relation to the patient (β = 0.149; p < 0.0001), and were older in age (β = 0.095; p = 0.0032). IT competence has become an indispensable requirement for nurses in fulfilling their professional roles. The quality of using new technologies in the work of nurses depends on their IT competence.

Cultural Impact on the Intention to Use Nursing Information Systems of Nurses in Taiwan and China: Survey and Analysis

BACKGROUND

Nursing workforce shortage has emerged as a global problem. Foreign nurse importation is a popular strategy to address the shortage. The interactions between nursing staff on either side of the Taiwan Strait continue to increase. Since both nurses in Taiwan and nurses in China have adopted nursing information systems to improve health care processes and quality, it is necessary to investigate factors influencing nursing information system usage in nursing practice.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effects of cultural and other related factors on nurses' intentions to use nursing information systems. The findings were expected to serve as an empirical base for further benchmarking and management of cross-strait nurses.

METHODS

This survey was conducted in two case hospitals (one in Taiwan and one in China). A total of 880 questionnaires were distributed (n=440 in each hospital).

RESULTS

The results showed effort expectancy had a significant effect on the intention to use nursing information systems of nurses in China (P=.003) but not nurses in Taiwan (P=.16).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest nursing managers should adopt different strategies to motivate cross-strait nurses to use nursing information systems. Promoting effort expectancy is more likely to motivate nurses in China than in Taiwan. This discrepancy is probably due to the less hierarchical and more feminine society in Taiwan.

Issues affecting nurses' capability to use digital technology at work: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

Digital capability, that is the ability to live, work, participate and thrive in a digital world, is imperative for nurses because increasingly nurses' work and patient outcomes are influenced by technology.

AIM

To evaluate and synthesise the evidence regarding the development of digital capability in nurses and the strategies that support effective integration of digital skills into the workplace.

DESIGN

Whittemore and Knafl's methodology, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL, Embase, PsychINFO, Medline (Ovid) and PubMed databases were searched for articles published in English from 2008-2019. Search terms included; digital capabil*, digital literacy, informatics, nursing informatics, health informatics, nurs*, knowledge, knowledge integration, competency, continuing education, nursing skills, workplace and work environment.

REVIEW METHODS

A total of 35 studies were retrieved for quality assessment by two reviewers using standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI-MAStARI and JBI-QARI). Minimum essential criteria and scores were agreed prior to appraisal.

RESULTS

The 17 studies included comprised quantitative (n = 7), qualitative (n = 8) and mixed methods (n = 2). Integration of digital capability in nurses' workplaces is dependent on user proficiency and competence (theme 1). Nurses use technology to access data at the point of care, specifically accessing evidence to guide care (theme 2a) as well as accessing the medical records (theme 2b). Nurses have several concerns related to the use of technology at point of care (theme 3), some of which can be resolved through investment for implementation (theme 4).

CONCLUSIONS

There are key attributes of digitally proficient nurses. Nurses with these attributes are more inclined to use digital technology in their work. Involvement of the nurses as end users in the development of digital systems to ensure they are fit for purpose, alongside investment in professional development opportunities for nurses to develop digital capability, should be prioritised.

Integration of Informatics Content in Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Education: An Updated Status Report

BACKGROUND

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing identified informatics and health care technology as an essential component of baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral education, but schools still struggle to effectively deliver this core knowledge.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to provide an update of the 2013 status report on the integration of informatics in nursing education.

METHOD

The top twenty-five 2018 US News & World Report Best Online Nursing Programs were reviewed for courses with technology, computers, informatics, statistics, or research in the title.

FINDINGS

Sixty-seven percent of the schools with master's programs and more than 80% of the DNP programs included at least 1 informatics course. Schools with online BSN courses had about the same number of programs with informatics courses as the 2013 report.

CONCLUSION

While there was some improvement in the number of informatics courses in the programs reviewed, faculty need support to overcome barriers to teaching informatics.

Assessing nurses' informatics competency and identifying its related factors

Background

Due to the increasing use of informatics as an infrastructure in developing the quality of care and patient safety, informatics competency has become a crucial requirement for nurses.

Aim

This study was conducted to assess nursing informatics competency, and identify related factors in registered nurses.

Method

This research is an analytical descriptive study in which the research community included 205 nurses working at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences' hospitals. The researcher-made questionnaire was developed as a data collection tool (α = 98%). The data was entered into SPSS₁₆ software and correlation analysis and regression were carried out.

Results

The mean score percentage of total nursing informatics competency was 59.92%. The highest mean score was related to informatics skills (62.98), followed by the informatics knowledge subscale (59%). In addition, informatics competency was positively correlated with self-efficacy (r = 0.27, p = 0.001), evidence-based practice (r = 0.55, p = 0.001) and time spent on hospital information systems (r = 0.16, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

Computer skills, self-efficacy, evidence-based practice and time spent on hospital information systems are determinant factors of nurses' informatics competency. Developing nurses' basic computer skills and incorporating informatics education programmes into the curriculum can enhance nurses' informatics competency.