Digivaardig in de Zorg - the Netherlands
The Digital Skills in Healthcare (Digivaardig in de Zorg) initiative is a national, open-source knowledge and information hub: essentially, a repository of online learning resources to enhance digital skills of healthcare professionals and support medical and healthcare institutions' digital transformation. Coordinated by ECP | Platform for the Information Society, with support from healthcare organisations and government institutions like the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the initiative aims to advance healthcare professionals' digital competences, and help health admins and hospital directors find a way to chart progressive training paths to foster future-proof work skills for their employees.
About this initiative
The Digivaardig in de Zorg hub provides an innovative environment for healthcare organisations interested in upskilling their workforce and facilitating the use and deployment of technology for medical use. The platform's repository collates a wide range of different learning materials, resources and activities on digital skills, such as videos, short quizzes and tests, games, complete training guides and methodologies in several key medical sectors, including:
- Care and rehabilitation for persons with disabilities;
- Nursing homes and care at home;
- Mental health care;
- Hospitals;
- General practitioner (GP) surgeries.
Under each area, Digivaardig in de Zorg also offers self-assessment tools, which can help healthcare organisations identify specific learning goals and advance the digital understanding of employees and directors alike. A self-assessment tool for healthcare managers is also available. Employees can receive certification upon successful completion of certain modules, such as e-Health, technological applications, information security and privacy, or automation in the context of the care home. The initiative provides further support to the upskilling of healthcare institutions and organisations, by training and appointing a “Digicoach” and “I-nurse” within each establishment, who acts as innovation ambassadors and supports the implementation of e-health solutions.
Why is this a good practice?
The Digital Skills in Healthcare (Digivaardig in de Zorg) initiative has been particularly successful in establishing an available and accessible digital helpline and a helpdesk for questions related to digital and healthcare. It regularly publishes tips, webinars and mails newsletters with information and relevant updates. One factor, pointing to the strength of the initiative is its scope and objective of providing a large network, which brings together experts and educators at the intersection between digital transformation and healthcare. It also has a strong potential for scalability and replicability: much of the material can be tailored and adapted to the needs of healthcare professionals in other countries and areas.
The initiative scores extremely high in accessibility - it prioritises marginalised communities, those with disabilities and ensures an adequate level of support. Through various self-assessment tools and training opportunities, the initiative is successful in providing a range of resources across digital competence project. By creating accessible resources and fostering collaboration, Digivaardig in de Zorg ensures that healthcare providers can adapt to and benefit from digital innovations. As such, it supports the EU Digital Decade goals of reaching 20 million skilled ICT experts, and ensuring 80% of EU citizens are digitally-literate by 2030.
