In a more and more digitalised health and social ecosystem, technology has a key role to support nurses in their daily work and, at the same time, contributing to enhancing safety and empowerment, as digital solutions can increase access to personalised electronic health records and simplify and improve the communication between provider and user.
The implications of digitalisation in health and social care are well-known to nurses, playing a crucial role in empowering patients through coaching and supporting patients/citizens in the use of eHealth solutions thanks to the close relationship between patients and nurses. Nurses can make a significant contribution to boost value-based ecosystems, supported by innovative solutions, and being part of a culture that empowers patients to evaluate qualitative health outcomes.
At the occasion of World Health Day and the Digital Day 2018, the EFN stresses that to empower the end-user contribution in the co-design of “fit-for-purpose” digital health solutions in value based ecosystems, nurses must be involved since the start of the co-design process with specific attention to gender sensitivity and allowing nurses to spend more time with patients, so increasing the direct-patient care time.
In some innovative technologies, nurses become part of the chain accessing, recording, and processing health and social care data needed for continuity of care, a process that will increase patients’ trust on data accuracy and consistency, leading to improved patient care outcomes. In this sense, co-designed digital health supports nurses in leading the transition towards an integrated care model through measures that acknowledge frontline ability and capacity to deliver high quality and safe care.