Use and Perceptions of Information and Communication Technologies Among Ecuadorian Nurses: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background:Nurses represent a key group for the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), however, few studies have explored the current use of these technologies among healthcare professionals in developing countries. Our study aims to achieve a better understanding of how Ecuadorian nurses perceive the theoretical advantages and limitations of ICTs, as well as to explore the current use of these technologies in the setting of the professional nursing practice. Methods:We conducted an anonymous survey-based cross-sectional study where 191 nurses rated their frequency of use and level of agreement to specific statements on perceptions related to ICTs. For the statistical analyses, adjusted binomial logistic regressions and the chi-squared test for association were applied. Results:In general, 96.3% of nurses reported the use of ICTs to communicate with colleagues, and 80.1% reported the use of ICTs to communicate with patients. More than 70% of participants agreed that ICTs can be useful to promote professional services, help in the search for new job opportunities and/or professional development, foster health promotion, and improve the workflow with colleagues. Meanwhile, 78.6% of nurses had privacy or security concerns about personal and/or patient information, and 60.6% reported not having enough time neither to learn how to use ICTs nor to use them. Conclusion:High use of ICTs was found among Ecuadorian nurses for communicating with both colleagues and patients. Most of the participants had a positive perception of the use of ICTs in the healthcare practice, particularly among younger nurses. Finally, the major reservations perceived were related to privacy and patient confidentiality, and lack of time to learn how to use, or use ICTs.

Structural Model of the Healthcare Information Security Behavior of Nurses Applying Protection Motivation Theory

“…HIS intentions act as mediating factors for the promotion of HIS behavior by preventing leakage in medical institutions. Nurses are a very important group of healthcare professionals in medical institutions, and they must deal with disaster management [38], including HIS leakage. Nurses who have communication skills and knowledge on information utilization will be able to cope with emergency situations such as HIS leakage [38,39].…”

“…Nurses are a very important group of healthcare professionals in medical institutions, and they must deal with disaster management [38], including HIS leakage. Nurses who have communication skills and knowledge on information utilization will be able to cope with emergency situations such as HIS leakage [38,39]. Major corporations and government organizations are actively protecting information through the use of new methods such as the FORGE system or MSN modeling [37,40].…”

Gestão e monitoramento dos registros de lesões de pele com apoio das tecnologias de informação e comunicação: Uma revisão integrativa

“…A tecnologia de aplicativos para smartphones tem o potencial de melhorar a acessibilidade, uma vez que oferece ao usuário maior rapidez e facilidade na conexão às informações. Além disso, contribui para uma execução de cuidados mais segura, em virtude de uma maior fidedignidade dos dados levantados durante o processo de avaliação (Chérrez-Ojeda et al, 2020;Campos et al, 2020). O Quadro 4 descreve os principais recursos disponíveis nas soluções tecnológicas estudadas que auxiliaram na incorporação das TIC à prática clínica.…”