Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32965233›Full record

ArticleJMIR medical education2020

The Digital Skills, Experiences and Attitudes of the Northern Ireland Social Care Workforce Toward Technology for Learning and Development: Survey Study.

Jonathan Synnott, Mairead Harkin, Brenda Horgan, Andre McKeown, David Hamilton, Declan McAllister, Claire Trainor, Chris Nugent

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR medical education, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jonathan SynnottSchool of Computing, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6768-7877
Mairead HarkinNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0699-8858
Brenda HorganNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7414-132X
Andre McKeownNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2479-4813
David HamiltonNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8463-4654
Declan McAllisterNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9472-5322
Claire TrainorNorthern Ireland Social Care Council, Belfast, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7157-7278
Chris NugentSchool of Computing, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0882-7902
Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action · GBUniversity of Ulster · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundContinual development of the social care workforce is a key element in improving outcomes for the users of social care services. As the delivery of social care services continues to benefit from innovation in assistive technologies, it is important that the digital capabilities of the social care workforce are aligned. Policy makers have highlighted the importance of using technology to support workforce learning and development, and the need to ensure that the workforce has the necessary digital skills to fully benefit from such provisions.

objectiveThis study aims to identify the digital capability of the social care workforce in Northern Ireland and to explore the workforce's appetite for and barriers to using technology for learning and development. This study is designed to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the digital capability of the social care workforce in Northern Ireland? (2) What is the workforce's appetite to participate in digital learning and development? and (3) If there are barriers to the uptake of technology for learning and development, what are these barriers?

methodsA survey was created and distributed to the Northern Ireland social care workforce. This survey collected data on 127 metrics that described demographics, basic digital skills, technology confidence and access, factors that influence learning and development, experience with digital learning solutions, and perceived value and challenges of using technology for learning.

resultsThe survey was opened from December 13, 2018, to January 18, 2019. A total of 775 survey respondents completed the survey. The results indicated a workforce with a high level of self-reported basic digital skills and confidence. Face-to-face delivery of learning is still the most common method of accessing learning, which was used by 83.7% (649/775) of the respondents; however, this is closely followed by digital learning, which was used by 79.0% (612/775) of the respondents. There was a negative correlation between age and digital skills (r

conclusionsThese promising results provide a positive outlook for the potential of digital learning and development within the social care workforce. The findings provide clear areas of focus for the future use of technology for learning and development of the social care workforce and considerations to maximize engagement with such approaches.

Indexed as

digital dividedistance educationeducational technologyhealth care workerslearningmobile phonesocial worksurveysteaching methods

Identifiers

PMID32965233
PMCPMC7542399
OpenAlexW3022339851

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.