Mark Brommeyer

Introduction: Nursing informatics aims to improve patient care through rapid access to patient data, systematic assessment, a reduction in clinical errors, evidence-based practice, cost-effectiveness, and improved patient outcomes and safety. Background: Despite being the largest workforce in healthcare, nurses are not being adequately prepared to use nursing informatics, and this has been attributed to poor digital literacy, limited professional development, and a lack of undergraduate informatics education. Objectives: This scoping review aims to review contemporary published literature on the benefits, barriers, and enablers for embedding nursing informatics into undergraduate nursing education with a focus on the Australian healthcare context. Methods: A scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR checklist and the JBI Manual for evidence synthesis in adherence with an a priori scoping review protocol. A comprehensive search of JBI, Cochrane, CINAHL, Ovid, ProQuest, PubMed, and Scopus databases was performed. Two reviewers independently screened the results via Covidence, with discrepancies resolved via a third reviewer. Results: Two searches were conducted for this scoping review. In the first search, a total of 3227 articles were identified through database searches, with an additional 76 articles identified through bibliographic and grey literature searches. Following duplicate removal and screening, 46 articles met the inclusion criteria. In the second search, a total of 1555 articles were identified, and after duplicate removal and screening, 16 articles met the inclusion criteria. Duplicate removal during the second search round included those articles identified in the first search. The combined searches resulted in a total of 62 sources for this review. Conclusions: Despite the early adoption of nursing informatics in Australia in the 1980s, barriers remain to effective nursing informatics engagement and proficiency, including a lack of understanding of nursing informatics, limited infrastructure and resources, inadequate digital literacy of students and faculty, and the evolving nature of nursing informatics. Definitions of nursing informatics and associated fields, development of university faculty competency, access to digital health technologies, competency standards, digital literacy of the student cohort, faculty digital proficiency, and leadership from professional nursing bodies are all viewed as integral foundations for the development of student competency in nursing informatics.

Background: As the healthcare delivery landscape evolves and the impact of digital technologies and transformations becomes increasingly apparent, a competent healthcare management workforce, confident in the capabilities to employ and effectively incorporate digital health technologies into health service delivery is imperative. Objectives: The article explores the perceptions and experiences of middle-level health managers in their responsibilities and competency requirements in the context of digital health transformation. Method: Six focus groups were conducted with mid-level managers recruited across Australian public hospitals in 2023. Braun et al (2019) six-phase, reflexive thematic analysis approach was used to distinguish, explore, organise and advance insight into themes and categories of the factors emerging. Results: Findings indicated that the digital competencies managers are required to demonstrate include a much broader and expanded competence across eight identified competencies. Discussion: The unique attributes identified highlight and underscore the importance of enhancing digital competencies for health service managers to lead and manage in the digital health context. Conclusion: This study reveals two key areas of health service manager competency enhancement required: (i) competence in digital data management and security, and (ii) the management of digital technologies in practice. These findings can inform institutional competency frameworks that guide the development of management capability in the digital health environment, as well as illuminate the system and human resource implications for organisations to facilitate the application of these competencies in the workplace and optimise the benefits of digital health. Implications for health information management practice: The competency enhancements detailed have implications for health service, digital and information management regarding institutional competency frameworks and systems requirements that may need to be upgraded, expanded or introduced, and the continuous professional development that may need to be provided within the institutional or accreditation authorities to health service managers and health information managers.

Introduction: Healthcare is experiencing a global period of profound transformation, and digital health shows the promise of dispensing innovative and contemporary service models. However, changes are required to improve the capabilities of health managers in driving successful digital transformation. Objective: This paper aims to explore the organizational barriers that health service managers have encountered when realizing the benefits of a digitally transforming environment. This is part of a larger research study exploring digital competencies for health service managers, with the findings from focus group discussions providing a baseline from which to address the organizational improvements and changes in system capabilities required to assist in realizing the benefits of digital health transformation. Methods: The study is qualitative in nature. It employs focus group discussions to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences and views of health service managers and identify the benefits and barriers that managers have experienced in introducing digital health in their workplace. Results: Barriers encountered in realizing digital health benefits in the workplace were evidenced across five major themes: (1) change resistance and usage, (2) trust and uniformity, (3) resourcing and procurement, (4) digital literacy, and (5) siloed systems. Discussion: Findings from this study demonstrate that in driving the realization of digital health transformation benefits, health service managers need organizational and system-wide efforts to support managing in the digital health context. The key identified barriers experienced by health service managers include facing human and technical challenges with system adoption and the governance of data-driven decision-making in the digital context. Conclusion: The importance of digital transformation in healthcare is evident and will increasingly become a necessity for organizational survival and success. This study adds important insights into the organizational barriers that health service managers have encountered when realizing the benefits resulting from digital transformation. Addressing these barriers requires macro-, meso- and micro-level system investments. These benefits are enhanced by enabling factors critical for digital health adoption that have been described in key categories involving health system related: (1) policy and system, (2) organizational structure and processes, and human resource management, and (3) people factors. The importance of ensuring the organizational factors driving the realization of benefits in a digitally transforming environment is also addressed and capitalized upon for health service managers.

Healthcare in the 21st century is experiencing tumultuous times of turbulent and tortuous change, characterised by an aging population, an increasing chronic disease burden, and inadequate workforce capacity to meet this burgeoning demand. The development of digital capabilities for health service managers of today and tomorrow requires an approach that transcends traditional adult learning education and training trajectories. A five-step process for developing an andragogical approach to health service management competency development in the digital context is proposed. This process includes qualifying the capabilities required of health service managers in the digital age and expediating digital transformation within the Australian healthcare environment, informed by empirical research; linking teaching approaches for digital health using the five tenets of adult learning; and coalescing the competencies needed to contextualise knowledge and skills development requirements for the 5th Industrial Revolution. Importantly, formal and informal education and training for health service managers should focus on competency transferability, which requires trainers and educators to understand the transforming context and challenges facing health service managers in the healthcare industry. It is incumbent on the digital health community to build capacity and enable workforce development to inculcate sustainable influence for lasting change in the healthcare system.

Health service managers play a crucial role in managing and leading in the digital health environment. Development of the health management workforce that is ready to lead and manage digital health transformation requires partnerships across sectors, in not only developing workforce competence but also in developing supportive mechanisms that can translate competencies into practice. A framework presenting a systematic approach in enabling the development of a competent health management workforce in the digital health era has recently been published. The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the application of the framework in the Australian context, informed by the findings of a PhD research project that uses an empirically validated four-step approach to confirm the health service management workforce development needs in the digital health context. The PhD project has already confirmed: 1) the paucity of Australian Health Informatics Competency Framework (AHICF) competencies being included in Australian health service management postgraduate program curricula; 2) five key strategies that contribute to developing health management workforce competency and capacity; and 3) seven key factors that enable health management workforce development in the digital health context. Further understanding of the barriers and enablers for health service managers to develop capability and manage in the digital health environment, and the factors that influence digital health policy and practice will be developed, by critically analysing findings from focus group discussions with health managers and semi-structured interviews with digital health leaders, to be completed by May 2023.

The Australian Health Informatics Competency Framework (AHICF) guides the healthcare workforce in identifying the required competencies to perform as a health informatician, and more definitively defines the foundational body of knowledge on which the discipline is based. The aim of this paper is to describe the conceptual foundations in developing the AHICF v1.0, detail the methods used to revise and publish AHICF v2.0, and explore the certification and workforce outcomes achieved. This paper contributes to the competency framework and certification discourse, and knowledge of the increasing importance and recognition of health informaticians through certification. Further, implications for workforce training and education, career advancement and recruitment strategies, are also discussed.

Background: Globally, the health care system is experiencing a period of rapid and radical change. In response, innovative service models have been adopted for the delivery of high-quality care that require a health workforce with skills to support transformation and new ways of working. Objective: The aim of this research protocol is to describe research that will contribute to developing the capability of health service managers in the digital health era and enabling digital transformation within the Australian health care environment. It also explains the process of preparing and finalizing the research design and methodologies by seeking answers to the following three research questions: (1) To what extent can the existing health service management and digital health competency frameworks guide the development of competence for health service managers in understanding and managing in the digital health space? (2) What are the competencies that are necessary for health service managers to acquire in order to effectively work with and manage in the digital health context? (3) What are the key factors that enable and inhibit health service managers to develop and demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace? Methods: The study has adopted a qualitative approach, guided by the empirically validated management competency identification process, using four steps: (1) health management and digital health competency mapping, (2) scoping review of literature and policy analysis, (3) focus group discussions with health service managers, and (4) semistructured interviews with digital health leaders. The first 2 steps were to confirm the need for updating the current health service management curriculum to address changing competency requirements of health service managers in the digital health context. Results: Two initial steps have been completed confirming the significance of the study and study design. Step 1, competency mapping, found that nearly half of the digital competencies were only partially or not addressed at all by the health management competency framework. The scoping review articulated the competencies health service managers need to effectively demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace. The findings effectively support the importance of the current research and also the appropriateness of the proposed steps 3 and 4 in answering the research questions and achieving the research aim. Conclusions: This study will provide insights into the health service management workforce performance and development needs for digital health and inform credentialing and professional development requirements. This will guide health service managers in leading and managing the adoption and implementation of digital health as a contemporary tool for health care delivery. The study will develop an in-depth understanding of Australian health service managers’ experiences and views. This research process could be applied in other contexts, noting that the results need contextualization to individual country jurisdictions and environments. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/51884

BACKGROUND Globally, the health care system is experiencing a period of rapid and radical change. In response, innovative service models have been adopted for the delivery of high-quality care that require a health workforce with skills to support transformation and new ways of working. OBJECTIVE The aim of this research protocol is to describe research that will contribute to developing the capability of health service managers in the digital health era and enabling digital transformation within the Australian health care environment. It also explains the process of preparing and finalizing the research design and methodologies by seeking answers to the following three research questions: (1) To what extent can the existing health service management and digital health competency frameworks guide the development of competence for health service managers in understanding and managing in the digital health space? (2) What are the competencies that are necessary for health service managers to acquire in order to effectively work with and manage in the digital health context? (3) What are the key factors that enable and inhibit health service managers to develop and demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace? METHODS The study has adopted a qualitative approach, guided by the empirically validated management competency identification process, using four steps: (1) health management and digital health competency mapping, (2) scoping review of literature and policy analysis, (3) focus group discussions with health service managers, and (4) semistructured interviews with digital health leaders. The first 2 steps were to confirm the need for updating the current health service management curriculum to address changing competency requirements of health service managers in the digital health context. RESULTS Two initial steps have been completed confirming the significance of the study and study design. Step 1, competency mapping, found that nearly half of the digital competencies were only partially or not addressed at all by the health management competency framework. The scoping review articulated the competencies health service managers need to effectively demonstrate digital health competence in the workplace. The findings effectively support the importance of the current research and also the appropriateness of the proposed steps 3 and 4 in answering the research questions and achieving the research aim. CONCLUSIONS This study will provide insights into the health service management workforce performance and development needs for digital health and inform credentialing and professional development requirements. This will guide health service managers in leading and managing the adoption and implementation of digital health as a contemporary tool for health care delivery. The study will develop an in-depth understanding of Australian health service managers’ experiences and views. This research process could be applied in other contexts, noting that the results need contextualization to individual country jurisdictions and environments. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT DERR1-10.2196/51884

Background and Aims: Nurses are increasingly engaging with digital technologies to enhance safe, evidence-based patient care. Digital literacy is now considered a foundational skill and an integral requirement for lifelong learning, and includes the ability to search efficiently, critique information and recognise the inherent risk of bias in information sources. However, at many universities, digital literacy is assumed. In part, this can be linked to the concept of the Digital Native, a term first coined in 2001 by the US author Marc Prensky to describe young people born after 1980 who have been surrounded by mobile phones, computers, and other digital devices their entire lives. The objective of this paper is to explore the concept of the Digital Native and how it influences undergraduate nursing education. Materials and Methods: A pragmatic approach was used for this narrative review, working forward from Prensky’s definition of the Digital Native and backward from contemporary sources of information extracted from published health, education and nursing literature. Results: The findings from this narrative review will inform further understanding of digital literacy beliefs and how these beliefs influence undergraduate nursing education. Recommendations for enhancing the digital literacy of undergraduate nursing students are also discussed. Conclusions: Digital literacy is an essential requirement for undergraduate nursing students and nurses and is linked with safe, evidence-based patient care. The myth of the Digital Native negates the reality that exposure to digital technologies does not equate digital literacy and has resulted in deficits in nursing education programs. Digital literacy skills should be a part of undergraduate nursing curricula, and National Nursing Digital Literacy competencies for entry into practice as a Registered Nurse should be developed and contextualised to individual jurisdictions.