Experts' Opinion on the IT Skills Training Needs Among Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Healthcare workers' training needs in IT skills vary in different contexts and countries. The aim of this study is to identify training priorities as perceived by healthcare experts (> ten-year experience) using an anonymous questionnaire and to compare the resultant priorities with those of the European Union. Participants were asked to evaluate 23 training actions using the likelihood of feasibility, effectiveness, deliverability and maximum impact as evaluation criteria. Statistical analysis, using SPSS included frequency distributions and correlations, is used for data analysis. Fifty respondents, out of 187 distributed forms, were eligible to be considered as experts, whereas 15 out of 23 training actions received a mean score of ≥85. The results show that helping to recognize e-Health (i.e., health IT) as a specialty and increasing worker confidence through exposure to relevant IT solutions and medical technologies has scored more than 90. However, supporting the training of students of secondary schools who like to work in healthcare sectors has been scored the lowest. Training priorities as reported by Libyan experts were different from those of European experts. However, there is a need to consider the locally prioritized actions when considering the training of healthcare workers of health institutions in Libya.