JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Healthcare systems and the nursing profession worldwide are being transformed by technology and digitalization. Nurses acquire digital competence through their own experience in daily practice, but also in education and training, where educating nurses play an important role. While educating nurses have some level of digital competence, there is a need for ongoing training and support for them to develop more advanced skills and effectively integrate technology into their teaching.

Objective:

To develop a needs-based support program for educating nurses to foster digital competencies and to test this intervention.

Methods:

We used a design-based research approach, incorporating iterative development with expert consultation to create and evaluate a support program for educating nurses. Focus groups were conducted online to assess needs and thematic content analysis was used to derive key insights. The support program was then refined through expert feedback and subjected to a feasibility and satisfaction test, with participant evaluations analyzed descriptively.

Results:

Six main categories emerged from the focus groups, highlighting key areas such as the use of digital technology, ongoing support needs, and the current state of digitalization in nursing education. The support program was developed based on these findings, with expert validation leading to adjustments in timing, content prioritization, and platform integration. Preliminary testing showed good overall satisfaction with the support program, although participants suggested improvements in content relevance and digital platform usability.

Conclusions:

Although the feasibility test showed high satisfaction with the support program, low participation rates and limited perceived knowledge gain were major concerns. The results suggest that while the program was well received, further refinements, including a focus on competency-based approaches and addressing workplace barriers, are needed to increase participation and effectiveness of such interventions. The findings of this research can be used as a basis for the development of similar programs in other educational and health care contexts.