Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jan 13, 2022
Date Accepted: Jun 21, 2022
Digital health competencies among healthcare professionals: a systematic review
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Digitalization is not fully implemented in clinical practice and several factors have been identified as possible barriers, including the competences of healthcare professionals. However, no summary of the available evidence has been provided to date in order to depict e-health literacy competences that have been investigated among healthcare professionals, the tools used in assessing such competences and the effective interventions to improve them.
Objective:
Objective:
To summarize e-health literacy areas of competence investigated to date, the tools used and the effective interventions to improve e-health literacy among healthcare workers.
Methods:
Methods:
A systematic review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. The MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO and SCOPUS databases were accessed up to 4th September 2021, with an English language restriction filter. Studies assessing all areas of e-health literacy competences and interventions aimed at promoting them with quantitative designs, targeting healthcare workers and written in English were included. The included studies were evaluated for their methodological quality using Joanna Briggs Institute tools.
Results:
Results:
Twenty-six studies, published from 1999 to 2021, met the inclusion criteria and the majority were cross-sectional studies, while only two with an experimental design to improve e-health literacy have been retrieved. Most of the studies are of a moderate to low methodological quality. Four categories and nine subcategories of investigated areas regarding e-health literacy have been identified. The most studied category was “Self-rated e-health literacy”, followed by “Psychological and emotional aspects toward the use of DT and DHI”, “Use of digital technology and digital health interventions” and “Knowledge about DT and DHI”. In 35% of the studies, a previously validated tool was used to measure the concept assessed, while others developed ad hoc questionnaires. Two studies tested the efficacy of courses aimed at improving digital literacy, with contrasting results. Only one demonstrated an improvement in nursing informatics competence after a three-day workshop.
Conclusions:
Conclusions:
Mainly descriptive studies with issues regarding methodology quality were retrieved, highlighting a lack of experimental studies aimed at improving e-health literacy. Four main categories of e-health literacy areas have been investigated to date, and there is a need to expand research to psychological and emotional elements and the abilities to use digital technology for self-learning and teaching others. Clinical Trial: Not appropriate
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