Understanding digital health capability of allied health professionals - a mixed-methods study with content validity...

Digital technology is an essential enabler in modern health care. To maximise potential benefits, the health workforce requires adequate digital skills. Understanding a workforce's skills provides the opportunity to identify and address gaps in knowledge. This study aimed to enhance content validity of the Victorian Allied Health Digital Health Self-Evaluation Tool Domain 3 and to investigate the perceived digital capability of an Australian allied health workforce.

Content validity of Domain 3: Data and Informatics of the self-evaluation tool was assessed and modified using cognitive interviewing methods. Interviews with allied health professionals involved participants 'thinking out loud' while completing the tool. The research team updated the tool until no further issues were identified. Allied health professionals from three public hospitals in Melbourne's Parkville precinct were then invited to complete the modified self-evaluation tool via electronic survey. Analyses were descriptive.

Eleven cognitive interviews were conducted with allied health participants in three rounds, after which no further adjustments to the self-evaluation tool were required. Researchers simplified the tool iteratively, removing ambiguities, adding educational material and infographics to create a modified data and informatics self-evaluation tool. A total of 346 allied health professionals (46 science and 300 therapy) completed the modified tool. Most participants were female (n = 291, 84%) and had practised their profession a median of 9 (interquartile range 5-19) years. Most self-rated their capability across the ten data and informatics statements as Foundation (42.1%) or Consolidation (43.5%) with few self-ratings as Expert (11.8%) or Leader (2.6%).

Workforce gaps in perceived data and informatics capability were identified. The results enable future development of a targeted digital training strategy to uplift workforce capability. Further work is required to improve content validity for the other three domains of the Victorian Allied Health Digital Health Self-Evaluation Tool.