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Sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palvelujen ja rakenteen uudistus pyrkii rajoittamaan kustannusten kasvua ja edistämään palveluihin pääsyä. Sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon palveluita kehitetään yhä asiakaslähtöisimmiksi, oikea-aikaisimmiksi, vaikuttavammiksi ja tehokkaammiksi digitalisaatiota hyödyntäen. Muutokset vaikuttavat etenkin terveydenhuollon työntekijöiden työtapoihin ja sisältöihin, sillä digitalisoituvat palvelut vaativat digitaalista osaamista. Aikaisemman tutkimustiedon mukaan työntekijän ikä ja valmistumisvuosi vaikuttavat hänen kykyynsä käyttää digitaalisia järjestelmiä, ja digitaaliseen osaamiseen liittyvät tietotaidot heikkenevät jo 45-ikävuodesta eteenpäin. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää sukupolvien välisiä eroja terveydenhuollon työntekijöiden digitaalisessa osaamisessa. Tutkimus toteutettiin poikkileikkaustutkimuksena. Tutkimuksen aineisto (n=817) kerättiin sähköisellä kyselylomakkeella terveydenhuollon ammattilaisilta yhdeksästä terveydenhuollon organisaatiosta kansallisesti. Kysely sisälsi taustakysymyksiä sekä kysymyksiä vastaajan itsearvioidusta digitaalisesta osaamisesta ja digitaaliseen osaamiseen vaikuttavista tekijöistä neliportaisella asteikolla. Aineisto analysoitiin tilastollisin menetelmin SPSS-ohjelmistolla. Tulosten perusteella voidaan todeta, että Z- ja Y-sukupolvet kokevat vahvempaa digitaalista osaamista, kuin X-sukupolvi ja suuret ikäluokat. Suuret ikäluokat arvioivat digitaaliseen osaamisen vaikuttavien tekijöiden tuen nuorempia sukupolvia merkittävämmäksi. Terveydenhuollossa olisikin tulevaisuudessa tärkeää kohdentaa osaamisen kehittämisen menetelmiä sukupolvien väliset digiosaamisen erot huomioiden. Organisaatioiden ja työyhteisöjen tulisikin tehdä aktiivista ja systemaattista työtä eri sukupolvien digitaalisen osaamisen tarpeiden tunnistamiseksi, jotta digitaalisia palveluja ja ratkaisuja otetaan jatkossa käyttöön entistä ennakkoluulottomammin.

Abstract Aims and objectives This study aims to provide insight into healthcare professionals' lived experiences of digital health competence with the objective of improving the knowledge of how digital health competence is perceived by healthcare professionals. Background Healthcare professionals need to adjust to the digital era to provide quality and ethical care. Previous research has rarely adopted a healthcare professional's standpoint to describe their perceptions of digital health competence, even though their perspective in how new care practices are designed and implemented is vital. Design A qualitative descriptive study. Methods Healthcare professionals (nurses and allied health professionals) from versatile healthcare settings were recruited for individual semi‐structured interviews in Sweden (n = 5) and Finland (n = 15) (spring 2019‐summer 2020). Purposive and convenience sampling was used. Participants' backgrounds were in the public and private sectors. The interviews were transcribed for inductive content analysis. The SRQR guideline guided the study process. Results Healthcare professionals' perceptions of digital health competence are connected to competence to provide patient‐centric care through digital channels, using technology and digital health systems, interacting with the patient through digital means, evaluating what digital health is and combining digital and traditional methods. Professionals' perceptions of their own digital health competence were divided, with the participants either reporting sufficient competence or perceiving a lack of skills in some specific areas. Conclusions Healthcare professionals' perceptions of digital health competence focus on the ability to provide patient‐centric care by evaluating the need and possibilities for using digital health services jointly with more traditional methods. This study provides a sound basis for digital health research, but future studies should focus on elucidating factors which affect digital health competence and competence development. Relevance to clinical practice The results of this study can guide healthcare practices and digital health implementation, as well as function as a basis for instrument or theory development. Health care and nursing leaders should enable the resources to hybrid practices in patient‐centric care provision.

Due to the rapid digitalization of healthcare, it is important to strengthen professionals’ digital competence, particularly to support older professionals to stay in work until retirement age. People of different ages have different digital competencies. Younger generations are ‘digital natives’ who have learned to use digital devices fluently from a young age, while older generations have had to learn to use them in adulthood. The increasing number of new technologies causes in some cases stress, especially for more older healthcare workers. Intergenerational learning methods for developing digital competence may offer a way to narrow digital competence gaps in healthcare. The aim of this scoping review was to identify current evidence regarding intergenerational learning methods for developing digital competence, and their outcomes. The results can be used to help develop methods for intergenerational digital competence development and improve healthcare professionals’ digital competence. A scoping review was conducted across four databases (Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, ProQuest) without time limits. The search produced 2905 references, of which 23 studies are included in the review. Thematic analysis was used to analyze these studies’ results. The results showed that a key method for intergenerational digital competence development is reverse mentoring, where a less experienced person serves as a mentor to a more experienced one. Intergenerational digital competence development methods can be done one-on-one or in groups, in classes or on digital platforms. The outcomes of these methods illustrated that they promote mutual learning, increase the digital competence of older adults and the work life skills of young mentors, and narrow the gap between generations. Using such methods, it is possible to make better use of each generation’s expertise. Intergenerational learning could suggest ways of narrowing the digital gap and enhancing intergenerational communication. Healthcare could benefit from implementing intergenerational learning methods for developing digital competence, increasing the digital competence of healthcare professionals, and narrowing the gap between generations.

Health care professionals need continuous education to maintain the competencies required to provide high-quality care; in today’s world, this means an understanding of digital health services. Insight into health care professionals’ experiences of which aspects influence their digital health competence development is therefore highly relevant. The objective of the study was to examine which aspects influence the digital health competence development of health care professionals (nursing workforce and allied health professionals). In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 health care professionals (Finland n=15, Sweden n=5) from various health care settings between May 2019 and July 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded, translated verbatim and analysed with inductive content analysis. Health care professionals perceive that digital health competence development is influenced by aspects related to digital health adoption, co-workers and the work community, their manager, and opportunities for continuous education and orientation. The participants agreed that digital health competence is an important part of a health care professional’s overall clinical competence. Continuous education geared towards digital health competence should be systematically designed, and potentially integrate the resources available on social media platforms. Additionally, managers and supervisors should take a stronger stance towards learning about digital health services so they can serve as role models to their employees and genuinely promote digital health competence development.

There is a clear need for highly competent health sciences experts. No instrument currently exists for assessing the generic competences of health sciences students. The aim of this study is to develop and psychometrically test the Health sciences Generic Competence (HealthGenericCom) instrument. The instrument development four step process has been conducted with a cross-sectional study design and according to the COSMIN guidelines. Face and content validity was tested by 13 experts, structural validity was tested with exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha. The structural validity was tested using data from Finnish health sciences students (n=276). The content validity index of the whole HealthGenericCom instrument was 1 for relevance and for clarity. Using exploratory factor analysis a model of eight factors (with 88 items) was created: 1) competence in leadership, administration, and finance; 2) competence in people-centred guidance; 3) competence in health promotion; 4) competence in evidence-based practice; 5) digital competence; 6) competence in work well-being and self-management; 7) competence in collaboration and problem-solving; and 8) competence in societal interaction. The HealthGenericCom was shown to be valid and reliable and provides an evidence-based conceptual framework that can be used in developing curriculums and competence management.