Educating Undergraduate Nursing Students about Technology Enabled Care in Scotland Case Study

Edinburgh Napier is a university based in Scotland, the United Kingdom (UK) with over 18,000 students, many of which hail from all corners of the globe. The university creates and supports personalized learning and research opportunities that nurture talent, build knowledge and shape communities around the world. Its purpose is to deliver high-quality education and research to add value to the social, cultural and economic capital of the communities we serve. Edinburgh Napier works in many academic disciplines in research, pedagogy and professional practice, develops valued graduates and delivers research outcomes that help transform communities.

The School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier develops graduates with professional knowledge, critical thinking and industry connections to truly make a difference. It provides a teaching and research environment for over 2,500 students and 130 staff. Its nursing and midwifery graduates qualify with official Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration and 99.4% of its nursing students go straight into work within six months of graduating. They go prepared with both the skills they need to provide great care and a work ethic. The school focuses on practical and applied results as it aims to have an global impact on society through the influence of its graduates.

A pedagogical eHealth initiative is currently underway at the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University. It aims to improve the digital knowledge and skills of undergraduate nursing students to address the gap in informatics expertise among graduate nurses who practice in the NHS. At present, education policies in Scotland identify health informatics (HI) as an area that needs investment and the professional registration body, the NMC, also advocates for the inclusion of health technology in pre-registration nursing education standards and curricula. It is against this background that a core set of informatics competencies and curricula for undergraduate nursing students is being designed and integrated in a Bachelor of Nursing program at Edinburgh Napier University.