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DISKPASS™

During the pandemic, digital tools have significantly transformed healthcare delivery. Now, the health and care sector must adopt these tools to meet long-term health goals and recover from the pandemic. Current strategies focus on digitising healthcare services, connecting them for integration using electronic health care records and other digital tools, and enabling service transformation through these foundations.

In this context, there is an imperative need to increase digital capabilities and inclusion. Our teams are committed to contributing towards this agenda by developing digitally competent practitioners.

The University of Salford Digital Skills Passport (DiSkPass™) was initiated by Dr Cristina Vasilica as a novel digital self solution to equip our students and healthcare workforce with digital capabilities and knowledge required to work in a digital enabled healthcare system. DiSkPass™ is designed to meet existing digital capabilities frameworks and discipline specific requirements.

Dr Cristina Vasilica works with Dr Katy Szczepura and digital champions/ study teams to evaluate the impact of DiSkPass, strengthen the evidence base, and enhance the theoretical and pedagogical portfolio.

DiSkPass™ Nursing

This project evaluates the integration and impact of DiSkPass™, initially within nursing. DiSkPass™ Nursing has been designed to meet the Nursing & Midwifery Council’s (NMC) latest Future Nurse Standards for Proficiency (NMC, 2018) as well as Health Education England’s (HEE) Digital Capabilities Framework (HEE, 2018). It featured as a major strategic thread within our Future Nurse Curriculum, which received approval from the NMC starting September 2019. 

The impact of DiSK Pass will be examined by using a longitudinal study design with pre-registration nursing students in both BSc and MA Nursing programmes. Surveys, focus groups and secondary data will be used to understand at a granular level, students’ development across six domains (HEE, 2018). 

Team

Dr Cristina Vasilica

Professor Neil Withnell

Amany Sadat

Joshi Paul Prabhu 

Nicole Blythe

Chidinma Oforji

DiSkPass™ Radiography

Building on the concept of  DiSkPass™, this arm supports the enhancement of digital skills competence of the radiography workforce through the development of a digital skills training package for education and practice.

Objectives:

  • Scope the digital skills capabilities and needs of the UK radiography students and workforce to understand the skill gap within this context. 
  • Expand and adapt DiSkPass to develop a comprehensive digital skills training package tailored to the specific needs of the radiography workforce. 
  • Conduct a pilot evaluation of DiSkPass Radiography.

Team

PI: Dr Lisa Garwood-Cross

CoI: Dr Cristina Vasilica

Dr Claire Mercer

Dr Katy Szczepura

Funding

Innovation Strategy

Outputs

DISKPASS Nursing:

Case Study

Mbeah, H. & Vasilica, C.M. (2024). Supporting digital literacy, in Harnessing Digital Technologies and Data for Nursing Practice. Elsevier. ISBN 9780443111600

Vasilica, C.M., Gillaspy, E. & Withnell (2023) Digital Skills for Nursing Studies and Practice. Sage, London. https://salford.worktribe.com/record.jx?recordid=2337690

Awards Finalists:

Royal College of Nursing Awards

Student Nursing Times

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