JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Nursing Development Units (NDUs) are structured clinical environments designed to enhance professional development, collaboration, and organizational learning. While NDUs have been widely studied for their impact on nursing practice, their role in supporting digital transformation in healthcare has been less explicitly examined.

Objective:

This scoping review aims to map the characteristics, structures, and processes of NDUs, and to identify how these elements may relate to digital readiness and the integration of digital tools in nursing practice.

Methods:

We conducted a scoping review of 40 studies describing NDUs. Data were coded iteratively to identify patterns at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. Core elements and subcategories of NDUs were mapped, highlighting potential connections to capacities required for digital transformation.

Results:

NDUs operate across three levels: (1) individual—fostering professional role development, leadership, and resilience; (2) interpersonal—promoting participatory cultures, collaborative practice, and shared unit visions; and (3) organizational—providing structured frameworks for practice philosophy, role development, resource and change management, and embedded evaluation systems. While most primary studies do not explicitly address digital competencies, the structures, reflective practices, and collaborative processes described represent foundational capacities for engaging with digital tools, innovation, and organizational change.

Conclusions:

NDUs are characterized by multi-level structures and processes that enhance professional and organizational capacities. Although explicit evidence on digital transformation is limited, these capacities align with key prerequisites for the adoption and effective use of digital technologies in nursing practice. Further research is needed to examine how NDUs directly support digital innovation in clinical settings.