The digital transformation of health is dramatically requesting the use of digital technology in European health care systems. HCPs are core in accelerating the digital transformation of health. The EU Joint action Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting states digital skills are an important future skill for healthcare workers. Heath care professionals will require knowledge on how to transfer their health related skills to the new digitalised healthcare paradigm. DELIVER inspires to enhance the digital skills of HCPs by supporting the digital transformation of health within European regions. DELIVER target groups are multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and health care managers working in the hospital and/or community care sectors. The overall goal of the project is to enhance the digital skills of HCPs. To achieve this, DELIVER will produce five intellectual outputs: IO1 - Needs analysis IO2 - Digital and Organisational analysis IO3 - Educational program and e-learning tools IO4 - Health care professionals’ e-learning platform (HELP) for digital skills IO5 - Policy and implementation recommendations DELIVER will be a collaboration project of five partners from four EU countries: Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, and Italy. The partners have specific expertise, knowledge and research activities in the fields of health, education, innovation, telehealth, e-health, m-health, and in the development of training programs for HCPs. DELIVER is an action research project and produce high quality standard results, DELIVER will apply a co-creation and co-design methodology. Co-creation is a process that creates change by working with people, organisations and communities. It will involve a participatory approach where stakeholders will participate throughout the entire project through four organised dialogue meetings in each country. DELIVER provides high quality digital skills training for HCPs enabling them to achieve essential skills in ICT communication, home monitoring and telehealth solutions and more. The generic transnational educational program, e-learning tools and the health care professionals’ e-learning platform will be jointly developed by partner organisations. DELIVER will directly affect approximately 350-400 HCPs across the four countries as well as indirectly affecting other members of participating organisations and citizens within the local community. DELIVER will welcome all interested parties to the national seminars and the final European conference to share results, lessons learnt and best practices. The health care professionals’ e-learning platform for digital skills will be open and accessible to all Europeans, and provide long-long learning opportunities to enhance the digital skills of health care professionals.
By joining forces and providing a common approach to expand the application of digital health and to enhance HCPs digital skills, DELIVERs objective supports the initiatives of European HCS in incorporating digital health solutions in the delivery of health care services and the WHO in working on maximizing the adoption of digital health in the European region. Said in another way, the objective was to develop relevant and applicable educational material for improving digital competencies for both HCPs and HCMs.
The change in demography across Europe makes for two prevalent challenges in healthcare: increasing numbers of elderly citizens with comomorbidity requiring complex treatment thus causing a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals. In order to mitigate these challenges, the digital transformation needs to strive for greater heights in order to support this unbalance. The goal is to convey knowledge and argumentation on the importance of digital competencies, ergo HCPs and HCMs must learn digital competencies, enabling them to use and implement digital solutions. DELIVER set out to provide hands-on material for educators in teaching HCPs and HCMs in Europe. In the DELIVER educational output, we chose not to be technology-specific and rather look at the strengths in our culturally diverse partnership. Target groups are HCPs and HCMs working in hospitals and/or community care sectors; hence multidisciplinary healthcare workers. ERASMUS+ funds adult education in strategic partnership to facilitate contemplation and learning. Denmark is not alone in facing the challenges with the changing demography and the shortage of qualified professionals, wherefore to lift this task in solidarity was a given.