We are proud to announce the recent publication “Practical Recommendations for Navigating Digital Tools in Hospitals: Qualitative Interview Study,” published in JMIR Medical Education.
This research was a collaborative effort with Dr. Simone Krähenmann from Kantonsspital St.Gallen, alongside co-authors Marie Wosny, Livia Strasser, and Prof. Janna Hastings. Together, we explored the critical challenges and opportunities in empowering healthcare professionals to navigate digital tools effectively in hospital settings.
We highlight the challenges faced by new clinical end users, including medical and nursing students, experienced professionals transitioning into new roles, and practitioners adopting novel healthcare technologies. We identify key barriers to effectively integrating digital tools into clinical practice, such as limited preparedness and time constraints.
Through qualitative interviews with more than 50 healthcare professionals across Switzerland, we identified ten actionable recommendations to guide new users in navigating health IT systems. These include practical advice such as understanding digital tools, embracing peer learning, seeking adequate training, maintaining a critical yet adaptable mindset, and prioritizing empathy and patient-centered care.
We underscore a pressing challenge: equipping healthcare professionals with advanced digital tools and ensuring they can leverage their full potential. This is far from being merely an individual effort, but it demands a unified strategy, calling on regulators, educators, and healthcare organizations to collaborate in fostering technological readiness and comprehensive training across the healthcare sector.
Access the full publication here: https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e60031