Issues affecting nurses' capability to use digital technology at work: An integrative review

Abstract

Background: Digital capability, that is the ability to live, work, participate and thrive in a digital world, is imperative for nurses because increasingly nurses' work and patient outcomes are influenced by technology.

Aim: To evaluate and synthesise the evidence regarding the development of digital capability in nurses and the strategies that support effective integration of digital skills into the workplace.

Design: Whittemore and Knafl's methodology, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) guidelines.

Data sources: CINAHL, Embase, PsychINFO, Medline (Ovid) and PubMed databases were searched for articles published in English from 2008-2019. Search terms included; digital capabil*, digital literacy, informatics, nursing informatics, health informatics, nurs*, knowledge, knowledge integration, competency, continuing education, nursing skills, workplace and work environment.

Review methods: A total of 35 studies were retrieved for quality assessment by two reviewers using standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI-MAStARI and JBI-QARI). Minimum essential criteria and scores were agreed prior to appraisal.

Results: The 17 studies included comprised quantitative (n = 7), qualitative (n = 8) and mixed methods (n = 2). Integration of digital capability in nurses' workplaces is dependent on user proficiency and competence (theme 1). Nurses use technology to access data at the point of care, specifically accessing evidence to guide care (theme 2a) as well as accessing the medical records (theme 2b). Nurses have several concerns related to the use of technology at point of care (theme 3), some of which can be resolved through investment for implementation (theme 4).

Conclusions: There are key attributes of digitally proficient nurses. Nurses with these attributes are more inclined to use digital technology in their work. Involvement of the nurses as end users in the development of digital systems to ensure they are fit for purpose, alongside investment in professional development opportunities for nurses to develop digital capability, should be prioritised.

Keywords: capability; digital; informatics; integrative review; literacy; technology.