Digital Competencies in Europe’s Ageing Healthcare Workforce
T Magalhães, MMD GomesAbstract
Background
Digital health technologies offer significant potential to improve efficiency, quality and patient safety, and their successful adoption depends critically on the digital literacy of healthcare professionals and is more relevant in a context where the sector’s workforce is ageing, raising concerns about generational inequalities in digital skills. This study aims to understand the level of digital literacy among healthcare professionals aged 50 or over, and how sociodemographic factors influence this competence.
Methods
A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from Wave 9 of the SHARE database, between 2021 and 2022 in 28 European countries and Israel. The sample includes healthcare professionals aged 50–65 years. Digital literacy was measured through a composite Digital Literacy Index. Independent variables included age, gender, education level, income, professional group, professional context, country of residence and self-perceived health. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were performed to identify patterns and determinants of digital literacy.
Results
Preliminary results reveal substantial heterogeneity in digital literacy levels among older health professionals. Lower literacy levels were more common among individuals with lower educational attainment and among women. Marked differences emerged across professional categories and European regions. Digital literacy was also positively associated with self perceived health, financial security and higher income levels.
Conclusions
Although more age was associated with differences in digital literacy, its effects were not uniform, suggesting that digital readiness reflects the interaction between sociodemographic, professional and contextual factors, rather than age alone. Special attention needs to be given to the concept of digital determinants of health and the risk of exacerbating inequalities if digital transitions are not inclusively designed.