The increasing digitalisation of administrative and care documentation systems as well as the use of state-of-the-art technology, e.g. intelligent care beds, requires ever more comprehensive digital skills from employees in geriatric care. A study by the German Economic Institute is therefore analysing the status and requirements of digital skills in geriatric care. To this end, 1,100 nursing and management staff in 78 geriatric care facilities in NRW were surveyed.
The results show that the digital transformation in the care sector has some special features. For example, the digitalisation of the administration and documentation of patient data is well advanced. In contrast, the direct care of people is much less digitally supported.
Digital skills in the secure handling of sensitive data in particular are therefore very important in the care sector compared to the economy as a whole. For example, 77% of the companies surveyed in the elderly care sector state that knowledge of data security and data protection is important or very important (compared to 59% of companies in the economy as a whole).
The secure use of digital tools for team collaboration is also of comparatively great importance in geriatric care. (63% in geriatric care compared to 49% in the economy as a whole). Skills in the use of job-specific software (80% to 83%) and the operation of assistance systems (19% to 37%), on the other hand, are considered to be slightly less important than in the economy as a whole.
With regard to the actual digital skills of skilled workers in the care sector, the picture is rather mixed. Employees in the care sector consistently rate each other as competent in the job-related use of digital devices and programmes. Furthermore, both nursing staff and managers show a high level of willingness to learn how to use new digital devices and programmes. At the same time, however, 66% of nursing staff and 43% of managers perceive the risk of employees being overwhelmed as an obstacle to digitalisation.
