Overview
Summary
This project assessed clinicians' self-reported digital health competence across Queensland to inform targeted training and strengthen digital capability.
Dates: April 2025 - September 2026
Implementation sites: Queensland statewide
Partnerships: The University of Queensland (Queensland Digital Health Centre)
Aim
The aim of this project was to assess clinicians’ digital health competence and its influencing factors across the Queensland Health clinical workforce using validated measures.
Outcomes
- Achieved Queensland’s first statewide baseline of digital health competence from 944 clinicians across medicine, nursing, midwifery, and allied health, representing 15 of 16 HHSs.
- Clinicians reported strong competence in ethical practice (3.77/4), ICT skills (3.60/4), and using digital solutions as part of work (3.54/4).
- Key development areas included using and evaluating digital solutions (3.26/4) and organisational practices supporting capability development (2.51/4).
- Organisational and educational support were the strongest predictors of competence (β = 0.277, p < .001), providing clear direction for targeted digital training
Background
Digital technologies such as electronic medical records, virtual care, and decision support tools are now central to modern healthcare, with strong evidence that they can enhance patient safety, efficiency, and quality of care. However, many clinicians have had limited formal training in digital health and instead rely on informal or ad hoc learning to navigate these systems. This mismatch between the pace of digital adoption and the skills of the workforce has been identified both statewide and nationally, where digital literacy, confidence, and competence can vary significantly across professional groups.
Within Queensland Health, these challenges are well recognised. The organisation does not yet have a comprehensive, system wide view of clinicians’ digital health knowledge, skills, and attitudes, making it difficult to identify capability gaps, plan targeted training, or support equitable digital uplift across metropolitan, regional, and rural services. This absence of foundational data represents a strategic risk at a time when digital transformation is accelerating.
This project was established in direct response to these issues. Although Queensland Health is rapidly digitising, it has not previously had robust statewide visibility of clinicians’ digital health competence or the factors that shape it. The central questions guiding the project were: What is the current state of clinicians’ self reported digital health competence across Queensland Health, and what factors are associated with variation across roles, experience levels, and geographic locations? The project ultimately aims to generate the foundational evidence needed to guide targeted capability development, support safer and more effective use of digital technologies, and align workforce planning with Queensland Health’s broader digital transformation priorities.
Methods
We conducted a cross sectional census survey across all 16 public Hospital and Health Services within Queensland Health to understand clinicians’ self reported digital health competence and the factors influencing it. The project followed a structured improvement approach focused on establishing a statewide baseline to inform capability uplift.
Eligible participants included clinicians from medical, nursing and allied health disciplines working in all settings across inpatient, outpatient, emergency and community health. Exclusion criteria included the student workforce (including medical students), administration or non-clinical staff, and external staff that were contracted outside of the organisation. To ensure the survey was appropriate for the Queensland Health context, the team first reviewed and refined the survey content in consultation with clinicians, digital health experts, and academic partners. This process ensured the instrument reflected local terminology, workflows, and organisational conditions, and that it captured the core domains of digital health competence relevant to clinical practice.
The final questionnaire consisted of 63 items (16 optional). The survey was then disseminated as an organisation wide initiative via an all-staff email circulated by eHealth Queensland between November and December 2025. Staff received an invitation outlining the purpose of the project, voluntary participation, and the estimated time to complete the survey. All responses were collected confidentially and de- identified in accordance with Queensland Health data governance requirements. The initiative was implemented as part of Queensland Health’s ongoing digital transformation efforts and aligns with system level strategies aimed at strengthening digital capability, modernising service delivery, and supporting a connected, insight enabled workforce.
The approach reflects principles commonly used in continuous improvement and workforce capability assessment, where measurement is used to identify gaps, target interventions, and monitor progress over time. Quantitative survey responses were analysed descriptively and inferentially to summarise competence levels and examine associations between demographic, professional, and organisational variables. These analyses generated actionable insights to guide targeted training, support organisational planning, and inform strategic digital capability uplift across Queensland Health.
Discussion
The success of this project relied on a supportive organisational environment and strong cross sector collaboration. Queensland Health’s broader digital transformation agenda created both the need and the momentum for undertaking a statewide assessment of digital health competence. Clear alignment with digital strategic priorities, such as building a connected, insight enabled workforce, helped ensure engagement from clinicians and leaders across the system. Partnerships between government, academia, and clinical services also enabled access to the expertise required to design and implement a project of this scale. A significant enabler was the willingness of clinicians across Queensland to participate. Strong representation from 15 of the 16 Hospital and Health Services indicates that clinicians recognise the importance of understanding digital capability as a foundational step in improving system performance. Operational support from eHealth Queensland and the use of established communication channels facilitated broad dissemination and consistent messaging. As with all large scale surveys, there were limitations.
The reliance on self reported competence may not fully capture actual skill levels, and participation may have varied between services despite strong statewide engagement. Time pressures on clinicians may also have influenced completion rates. While the survey offers a comprehensive baseline, it cannot fully reflect the rapid evolution of digital tools or the nuances of local workplace contexts. Nonetheless, the breadth and diversity of responses strengthen the reliability and overall value of the findings.
The project’s strengths include its statewide scope, alignment with strategic priorities, multidisciplinary clinician participation, and its establishment of Queensland’s first baseline digital competence dataset. The project reinforced that digital competence is shaped not just by individual skill, but by organisational culture, leadership support, and access to education, consistent with the broader literature on digital readiness.
The next steps for this project include using the findings to inform the design of targeted digital health training initiatives. There is also an opportunity to embed digital competence assessment into ongoing workforce planning, and to repeat the survey over time to monitor progress. Collectively, these actions will help Queensland Health strengthen digital capability and support clinicians as digital transformation continues.
References
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Key contact
Dan McKavanagh
Director Clinical Informatics
Office of the CCIO
eHealth Queensland