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

Abstract

AimsTo 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).DesignA cross‐sectional study.MethodsA 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.ResultsThree 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.ConclusionTailored 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.ImpactThis 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.

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

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“…by Kinnunen et al (2019), in which general information technology competence in particular was found to be at a good level among healthcare professionals. Additionally, in a recent study by Kaihlanen et al (2023), the majority of registered nurses were included in either moderate or high nursing informatics competence groups. Finland (along with the Netherlands) has the most digitally competent citizens out of all European Union member states with 79% per cent of people having basic or above basic digital skills (European Commission, 2022).…”

“…Previous studies have mainly focused on studying specific healthcare professional groups, such as nursing professionals' (Kaihlanen et al, 2023) and physicians' (Jimenez et al, 2020) competencies in digitalized healthcare. Also, studies have investigated competence in digitalization from a narrower perspective, excluding, for example, the attitude perspective or including only a few statements that represent different areas of digital health competence (Kujala et al, 2018).…”

Challenges and Needs in Digital Health Practice and Nursing Education Curricula: Gap Analysis Study

“…This is a somewhat unusual phenomenon wherein the application of a practice has happened in advance of the evidence that supports it. Digital technologies are constantly evolving to improve access efficiency, safety and communication and in turn the scope of nursing informatics is rapidly evolving at the intersection of healthcare and information technology [3]. The adoption and optimization of electronic health records (EHR) continue to be a major focus in nursing informatics, with a growing knowledgebase on the importance of user-centered design to improve the usability and functionality of EHRs, ultimately leading to better care and safety [4].…”