Health minister Greg Hunt has announced Australia’s largest healthcare workforce of more than 400,000 nurses and midwives can now assess their digital health knowledge and skills against a new professional development framework.
He said the National Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Capability Framework, which was developed by nurses and midwives, outlines the core digital health skills and knowledge required for professional practice in the digital era covering patient care, leadership, advocacy, education and research.
Mr Hunt said frontline healthcare professionals like nurses and midwives are playing a leading role in Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Every Australian has benefited from the commitment and leadership of nurses and midwives," he said.
"Nurses and midwives have long been using technology to care for their patients. The first of its kind in Australia, the framework highlights the specific skills and capabilities necessary to deliver contemporary care."
Mr Hunt said the focus is now on empowering nurses and midwives to lead the digital transformation of the health system. He said it is expected the framework will be used as a resource to guide individuals, employers and educators in their workforce and professional development planning.
The framework focuses on digital professionalism; leadership and advocacy; data and information quality; information-enabled care; and technology.
The framework was developed as part of a collaboration involving the Australian Digital Health Agency and the Australasian Institute of Digital Health, in association with a range of nursing, midwife, consumer and digital health stakeholder groups.