Queensland Digital Health Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Sep 2;24(1):1011. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11313-4.
Digital health offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance health service delivery across vast geographic regions. However, these benefits can only be realized with effective capabilities and clinical leadership of the rural healthcare workforce. Little is known about how rural healthcare workers acquire skills in digital health, how digital health education or training programs are evaluated and the barriers and enablers for high quality digital health education and training.
To conduct a scoping review to identify and synthesize existing evidence on digital health education and training of the rural healthcare workforce.
Sources that reported digital health and education or training in the healthcare workforce in any healthcare setting outside metropolitan areas.
We searched for published and unpublished studies written in English in the last decade to August 2023. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL and Education Resources Information Centre. We also searched the grey literature (Google, Google Scholar), conducted citation searching and stakeholder engagement. The JBI Scoping Review methodology and PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews were used.
Five articles met the eligibility criteria. Two case studies, one feasibility study, one micro-credential and one fellowship were described. The mode of delivery was commonly modular online learning. Only one article described an evaluation, and findings showed the train-the-trainer model was technically and pedagogically feasible and well received. A limited number of barriers and enablers for high quality education or training of the rural healthcare workforce were reported across macro (legal, regulatory, economic), meso (local health service and community) and micro (day-to-day practice) levels.
Upskilling rural healthcare workers in digital health appears rare. Current best practice points to flexible, blended training programs that are suitably embedded with interdisciplinary and collaborative rural healthcare improvement initiatives. Future work to advance the field could define rural health informatician career pathways, address concurrent rural workforce issues, and conduct training implementation evaluations.
Open Science Framework: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/N2RMX .
数字健康为跨越广阔地理区域提供了增强医疗服务的前所未有的机会。然而，只有当农村医疗保健劳动力具备有效的能力和临床领导力时，这些好处才能实现。对于农村医疗保健工作者如何获得数字健康技能、数字健康教育或培训计划如何进行评估以及高质量数字健康教育和培训的障碍和促成因素，人们知之甚少。
进行范围综述，以确定并综合现有关于农村医疗保健劳动力的数字健康教育和培训的证据。
在大都市地区以外的任何医疗保健环境中报告数字健康以及医疗保健劳动力中的教育或培训的来源。
我们搜索了过去十年中以英文发表和未发表的研究，截至 2023 年 8 月。搜索的数据库包括 PubMed、Embase、Scopus、CINAHL 和教育资源信息中心。我们还搜索了灰色文献（Google、Google Scholar）、进行了引文搜索和利益相关者参与。采用 JBI 范围综述方法和 PRISMA 指南进行范围综述。
符合入选标准的有五篇文章。描述了两项案例研究、一项可行性研究、一项微证书和一项奖学金。交付模式通常是模块化在线学习。只有一篇文章描述了评估，研究结果表明，培训师培训模式在技术和教学方面是可行的，并且受到了好评。在宏观（法律、监管、经济）、中观（当地卫生服务和社区）和微观（日常实践）层面报告了农村医疗保健劳动力高质量教育或培训的有限数量的障碍和促成因素。
提升农村医疗保健工作者的数字健康技能似乎很少见。目前的最佳实践指出，灵活的、混合式培训计划应与跨学科和协作的农村医疗保健改善举措适当结合。未来推进该领域的工作可以确定农村卫生信息员的职业道路，解决农村劳动力的并发问题，并进行培训实施评估。
Open Science Framework：https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/N2RMX 。
