Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One
From skills to smart care: The mediating role of digital literacy in the relationship between digital competence and medical artificial intelligence readiness among nursing students
12 affiliations
- 1Department of Community, Psychiatric, and Mental Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
- 2Community Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
- 3Nursing Services Department, Qassim University Medical City, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
- 4Department of Nursing Administration and Education, College of Nursing, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 5Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Ha’il, Ha’il City, Saudi Arabia
- 6College of Nursing, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- 7Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
- 8Nursing Administration Department, Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
- 9Public Health Nursing Department, College of Nursing, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
- 10Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
- 11Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Addawasir, Saudi Arabia
- 12Psychiatric and Mental- Health Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
Abstract
The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare requires nurses to possess strong digital competence, advanced digital literacy, and readiness to engage with AI technologies. Despite this need, the ways in which digital competence influences AI readiness, and the mediating role of digital literacy, remain underexplored. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined 500 undergraduate nursing students from two Universities for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia and Egypt using validated measures of digital competence, digital literacy, and medical AI readiness. Results indicated strong positive correlations between digital competence, digital literacy, and AI readiness, with digital literacy partially mediating the effect of digital competence on AI readiness. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ethical, reflective, and AI-focused digital literacy alongside technical skills in nursing education, ensuring that future nurses are prepared to use medical AI effectively and safely, thereby supporting clinical decision-making and improving quality of care.
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BibTeX
@article{amin2026from,
title = {{From skills to smart care: The mediating role of digital literacy in the relationship between digital competence and medical artificial intelligence readiness among nursing students}},
author = {Shaimaa Mohamed Amin and Heba Emad El‑Gazar and Sameer A. Alkubati and Mohamed Ali Zoromba and Heba Sobhy Mohamed and Mohammed Adel Abd Elhafeez Elbakry and Ahmed Farghaly Tawfik and Mohamed Hussein Ramadan Atta and Abeer Abd Elaziz Madian and Haitham Mokhtar Mohamed Abdallah and Hanadi Dakhilallah and Azza Abd Elrazek Baraka},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359992},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359992},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - From skills to smart care: The mediating role of digital literacy in the relationship between digital competence and medical artificial intelligence readiness among nursing students
AU - Shaimaa Mohamed Amin
AU - Heba Emad El‑Gazar
AU - Sameer A. Alkubati
AU - Mohamed Ali Zoromba
AU - Heba Sobhy Mohamed
AU - Mohammed Adel Abd Elhafeez Elbakry
AU - Ahmed Farghaly Tawfik
AU - Mohamed Hussein Ramadan Atta
AU - Abeer Abd Elaziz Madian
AU - Haitham Mokhtar Mohamed Abdallah
AU - Hanadi Dakhilallah
AU - Azza Abd Elrazek Baraka
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359992
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359992
AB - The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare requires nurses to possess strong digital competence, advanced digital literacy, and readiness to engage with AI technologies. Despite this need, the ways in which digital competence influences AI readiness, and the mediating role of digital literacy, remain underexplored. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined 500 undergraduate nursing students from two Universities for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia and Egypt using validated measures of digital competence, digital literacy, and medical AI readiness. Results indicated strong positive correlations between digital competence, digital literacy, and AI readiness, with digital literacy partially mediating the effect of digital competence on AI readiness. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ethical, reflective, and AI-focused digital literacy alongside technical skills in nursing education, ensuring that future nurses are prepared to use medical AI effectively and safely, thereby supporting clinical decision-making and improving quality of care.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -