Registered Nurses' Digital Client Work and Associating Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Digital client work is increasingly integrated into healthcare delivery.
• Understanding its prevalence and influencing factors among nurses is crucial for effective implementation.
• Finnish registered nurses' engagement with digital tools requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of digital client work among Finnish registered nurses.
• To explore associations between nurse characteristics, work environment, and digital client work.
• To identify factors influencing the adoption and utilization of digital healthcare services by nurses.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional nationwide survey was conducted in spring 2023.
• 2970 Finnish registered nurses provided responses.
• Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• One-third of nurses reported digital client work in the past six months, mostly daily or weekly.
• Secured messaging was the most common digital method; video consultations were less frequent.
• Nurses in acute care, home care, and other settings engaged more in digital work than those in inpatient care. Higher digital dedication and collegial support were associated with increased digital work, while frequent users showed lower information security skills.

Conclusions:

• Significant variation exists in nurses' digital client work frequency across settings, necessitating broader digitalization assessments.
• Organizations must prioritize nurses' information security skills and foster supportive environments for digital work.
• Enhancing digital service availability can improve client access to care and requires targeted interventions like education and support.