Profiling Healthcare Professionals' Digital Health Competence and Associated Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Healthcare Workforce Development
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Digital health competence is crucial for modern healthcare delivery.
• Understanding factors influencing digital health competence is essential for effective training and policy development.
• The Italian healthcare context presents unique challenges and opportunities for digital health integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the digital health competence of healthcare professionals in Italy.
• To identify socio-demographic, work-related, and organizational factors associated with digital health competence.
• To explore the relationship between digital health competence and ethical considerations in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 301 healthcare professionals in Italy (October 2023 - April 2024).
• Data collected via questionnaires assessing demographics, digital solution use, and digital health competence (DigiHealthCom, DigiComInf).
• K-means cluster analysis identified competence levels; ANOVA and Chi-square tests examined group differences.

Main Results:

• Three clusters of digital health competence were identified, with most participants in the highest competence group.
• Higher work experience correlated with lower digital health competence, while strong management/colleague support was linked to higher competence.
• Despite high digital competence, ethical competence scores were lower in proficient groups; traditional technologies dominated usage.

Conclusions:

• Targeted educational programs and organizational policies are necessary to enhance digital health competence across the healthcare workforce.
• Addressing ethical aspects and promoting advanced technology adoption are key to advancing digital healthcare.
• Interventions involving management and colleagues can help bridge the digital divide and foster digital equity.