Newly Qualified Canadian Nurses' Experiences With Digital Health in the Workplace: Comparative Qualitative Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Digital Health Transformation
• Healthcare Technology Adoption

Background:

• Digital health technologies, including electronic health records, are integral to modern clinical practice.
• There is a significant knowledge gap regarding nursing graduates' adaptation to digitalized healthcare environments.
• Supporting nurses in adopting eHealth technologies is critical for effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore newly qualified nurses' experiences with digital health tools in the workplace.
• To identify strategies for supporting new nursing graduates during their transition to digital health practice.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was employed.
• Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 nurses across Eastern and Western Canada.
• Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the interview data.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: pre-graduation experiences, workplace integration challenges, and strategies for bridging educational gaps.
• Participants reported similar gaps in digital health education and faced technology-related challenges impacting their practice.
• Similarities in experiences suggest systemic issues in preparing nurses for digital health environments.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive digital health education in nursing school and continuous professional development are essential.
• Organizational support and supportive work environments are critical for nurses to effectively utilize digital health technologies.
• Investing in supportive infrastructure is necessary for health systems to realize the full potential of digital health in nursing.