Socio‐Organisational Aspects Related to Digital Competence Development Among Healthcare Professionals: A Cross‐Sectional Study With Cluster Analysis
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Nursing Science Faculty of Medicine University of Turku Medisiina B Turku FI-20014 Finland utu.fi
- 2Faculty of Medicine Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health University of Tartu Ravila 19 Tartu 50411 Estonia ut.ee
- 3Department of Health and Social Management Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies University of Eastern Finland P.O. Box: 1627 Kuopio FI-70211 Finland uef.fi
- 4The Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland Turku University Hospital Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8 Turku 20520 Finland vsshp.fi
- 5Faculty of Health Sciences School of Medicine Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition University of Eastern Finland P.O. Box: 1627 Kuopio FI-70211 Finland uef.fi
- 6Faculty of Medicine Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology University of Oulu P.O. Box: 8000 Oulu FI-90014 Finland oulu.fi
- 7Medical Research Center Oulu Oulu University Hospital University of Oulu P.O. Box: 8000 Oulu FI-90014 Finland oulu.fi
- 8Department of Biostatistics University of Turku Turku FI-20014 Finland utu.fi
Abstract
Background: The increasing integration of digital technologies into healthcare has changed competence requirements for healthcare professionals, making digital competence essential for safe and effective care. Digital competence is shaped not only by individual skills but also by management support, organisational practices and collegial support.
Aim: To describe healthcare professionals’ assessments of socio‐organisational aspects associated with their digital competence development and to identify profiles of socio‐organisational support based on these assessments.
Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 2024 in Estonia. The Aspects Associated with Digital Health Competence (DigiComInf) and Digital Health Competence (DigiHealthCom) instruments were applied. Healthcare professionals from different professional groups and clinical settings were recruited through convenience sampling. The K‐means cluster methodology was the main tool for analysing the data.
Results: A total of 464 healthcare professionals were included in the analysis. Management and collegial support for digital competence development were rated moderate, whereas organisational practices were rated low. Three socio‐organisational support profiles were identified, with digital competence moderate across all but showing a clear gradient, highest in the High Support profile and lowest in the Low Support profile. The profiles also differed according to healthcare professionals’ personal, work‐related and technology training–related factors.
Conclusions: Healthcare professionals reported different patterns of socio‐organisational support for digital competence development. The findings suggest that managerial engagement, organisational practices and collegial support may be relevant for digital competence development. Further research should examine managers’ perspectives and the relationship between managerial and professional views of these support structures.
Implications for Nursing Management: The socio‐organisational support profiles identified in this study may serve as a practical framework for nurse managers to identify where managerial, organisational or collegial support for digital competence development could be strengthened. A coordinated organisational and policy‐level approach could support more consistent and systematic support for digital competence development across healthcare settings.
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BibTeX
@article{kommusaar2026socioorganisational,
title = {{Socio‐Organisational Aspects Related to Digital Competence Development Among Healthcare Professionals: A Cross‐Sectional Study With Cluster Analysis}},
author = {Janne Kommusaar and Laura-Maria Peltonen and Kadri Suija and Erika Jarva and Kristina Mikkonen and Lauri Sillanmäki and Mari Kangasniemi},
journal = {Journal of Nursing Management},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1155/jonm/4368819},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/4368819},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Socio‐Organisational Aspects Related to Digital Competence Development Among Healthcare Professionals: A Cross‐Sectional Study With Cluster Analysis
AU - Janne Kommusaar
AU - Laura-Maria Peltonen
AU - Kadri Suija
AU - Erika Jarva
AU - Kristina Mikkonen
AU - Lauri Sillanmäki
AU - Mari Kangasniemi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Journal of Nursing Management
DO - 10.1155/jonm/4368819
UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/4368819
AB - Background: The increasing integration of digital technologies into healthcare has changed competence requirements for healthcare professionals, making digital competence essential for safe and effective care. Digital competence is shaped not only by individual skills but also by management support, organisational practices and collegial support. Aim: To describe healthcare professionals’ assessments of socio‐organisational aspects associated with their digital competence development and to identify profiles of socio‐organisational support based on these assessments. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted in 2024 in Estonia. The Aspects Associated with Digital Health Competence (DigiComInf) and Digital Health Competence (DigiHealthCom) instruments were applied. Healthcare professionals from different professional groups and clinical settings were recruited through convenience sampling. The K‐means cluster methodology was the main tool for analysing the data. Results: A total of 464 healthcare professionals were included in the analysis. Management and collegial support for digital competence development were rated moderate, whereas organisational practices were rated low. Three socio‐organisational support profiles were identified, with digital competence moderate across all but showing a clear gradient, highest in the High Support profile and lowest in the Low Support profile. The profiles also differed according to healthcare professionals’ personal, work‐related and technology training–related factors. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals reported different patterns of socio‐organisational support for digital competence development. The findings suggest that managerial engagement, organisational practices and collegial support may be relevant for digital competence development. Further research should examine managers’ perspectives and the relationship between managerial and professional views of these support structures. Implications for Nursing Management: The socio‐organisational support profiles identified in this study may serve as a practical framework for nurse managers to identify where managerial, organisational or collegial support for digital competence development could be strengthened. A coordinated organisational and policy‐level approach could support more consistent and systematic support for digital competence development across healthcare settings.
SN - 0966-0429
SN - 1365-2834
ER -