JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Knowing the digital competence of professionals from healthcare professions (PHPs) and the weaknesses that require particular attention is an essential first step upon which to base strategic actions and resources needed to improve their digital skills.

Objective:

To assess these aspects in a representative sample of PHPs working in Catalonia, Spain.

Methods:

Exploratory observational study based on a voluntary survey where the following information was collected: socio-demographic and professional data, self-perception of digital competence, the use of digital tools and the need for training in digital tools for professional/personal purposes, and possession of the ACTIC-2 certificate (Accreditation of competence in information and communication technologies, intermediate level) or an equivalent qualification. An ad-hoc digital competence test based on the ACTIC-2 certificate was also included. This consisted of two “real-life” scenarios with 7 and 11 questions, respectively.

Results:

Eight hundred three PHPs, of which 76.2% were women, completed the survey between June 28th and July 16th, 2021. Nursing was the most frequent professional profile (28.3%), followed by physicians (21.9%). Sixty percent worked in a specialized healthcare setting. The mean length of professional experience was 19.6  11.0 years. Most participants self-rated their digital competence as intermediate (47.8%) or basic (44.5%). The most frequent professional digital tools were office tools (93.4%), social media (87.1%), and electronic health records (71.5%). The most demanded professional training topics were tools for prevention and health promotion (47.7%), office tools (44.6%), and electronic health records (43.1%). Personal topics included presentation of digital contents (53.1%) and data management (50.1%). The mean score in the ACTIC-2-based digital competence test was 22.6 ± 4.3. Most participants showed a basic level. The mean score was higher in men (P = .030), younger participants (P <.001), and those with a high self-perceived level of digital competence (P <.001). The time taken to complete the survey was 15.7 ± 5.8 min. Internal consistency was 0.66. The discrimination index of all questions was 0.2 for all items except one question

Conclusions:

This exploratory study reveals the need to improve the digital competences of PHPs working in Catalonia, with a special effort in training according to the specific needs of the different PHP profiles. The questionnaire developed shows acceptable consistency for the objective pursued, although improvements are needed to fine-tune its accuracy.