Co-Designing and Evaluating a Digital Competencies Toolkit for Nursing Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Digital Health
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Digital literacy is crucial in modern healthcare, necessitating effective training tools for students.
• A co-designed digital competencies toolkit was developed with student input to address this need.
• The toolkit covers key digital skills: creation, research, communication, innovation, and wellbeing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate a student-co-designed digital competencies toolkit for nursing.
• To gather student feedback on the toolkit's content, usability, and relevance.
• To identify areas for training and development in digital skills for nursing students.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional empirical study involving 339 undergraduate nursing students in Scotland.
• Data collected via a survey assessing clarity, comprehension, accessibility, relevance, and implementation potential.
• Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered in June 2023.

Main Results:

• Students rated the toolkit highly for clarity, comprehensiveness, and practical resources.
• Positive feedback on relevance for practice placements and career development.
• Suggestions were made for improvements, particularly for neurodivergent learners.

Conclusions:

• The toolkit is a valuable resource for enhancing nursing students' digital literacy and professional readiness.
• Co-design fosters student engagement as active participants in their learning.
• Continuous development and early integration of digital skills are recommended for future healthcare practice.