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

Abstract

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.

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

“…Nurse Clinician expectations of Nurse Graduates did not map to the Framework with the exception of one item (table 5). The significance of this is speculative but likely relates to the questions used in the interview study [13]. As no reference was made to the Framework, the responses were not provided that specifically addressed it.…”

“…In practice to data, data to knowledge, and knowledge to practice. The three phases of the project were 1) a systematic review [12], 2) an interview study of nurses in clinical practice about their digital health use, application and related challenges during COVID-19, and the needs of the graduate nurse [13], 3] a survey of Nurse Educators in Australian universities regarding their knowledge and confidence teaching aspects of digital health to entry to practice nursing students [14]. The aim of this paper is to present an analysis of the gaps identified through the triangulation of this past research.…”

Exploring the Evolution of Nursing Procedurals Skills, Mastery, and Competence Through Online Learning Among Students: A Qualitative Study

“…A study has highlighted the benefits of social and collaborative learning usage while integrating technologies learning to develop cognitive and skill mastery among nursing students ( Männistö et al, 2020 ). Social presence increases a sense of authenticity among participants, increasing engagement ( Livesay et al, 2023 ). Another study highlighted the effectiveness of interactive multimedia web-based learning in enhancing nursing students’ knowledge and clinical competencies ( Padilha et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Other studies emphasize technology's benefits and use procedural simulations to develop knowledge and skill mastery among nursing students ( Chen et al, 2020 ; Tan et al, 2022 ). However, challenges and barriers persist, including a lack of basic skills, limited access to digital health technologies, low voice and language clarity issues, physical health barriers such as eye strain, and reliability and connectivity problems ( Altmiller & Pepe, 2020 ; Livesay et al, 2023 ). The acquisition of procedural knowledge, skills, and competence is becoming more concerning in light of these challenges.…”