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Readiness of senior students to participate in a nursing environment of digital technology in hospitals in Cape Town
Author(s)
Louwson, Randall Elton
Date Issued
2026
Type
master thesis
Publisher
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Abstract
In 2020, the healthcare sector was transformed into a new era called Healthcare 4.0. It is also known as the era of smart medicine, an era brought along by the forthcoming 4IR. Nursing students form a fundamental part of the healthcare sector and in the use of Information Technology (IT) in our healthcare environments. Therefore, it is of extreme importance that these students should be ready for a technology-mediated healthcare environment in the new era of healthcare. They should acquire basic technology skills such as obtaining competence in both the use of patient care technologies and information management systems. However, their readiness to participate in the use of healthcare technologies will have an impact on their future role as a Professional Nurse. A lack of technological knowledge, skills, and positive attitude could affect the quality of patient care expected to be rendered in the new era of healthcare. The study explored and described the readiness of senior students to participate in a nursing environment of digital technology in hospitals in Cape Town. A non-experimental, descriptive quantitative design was used during this study. A survey with a self-developed questionnaire consisting of 39 items on the willingness of senior students to participate in a nursing environment of digital technology in hospitals in Cape Town was utilised by the researcher. The accessible study population consisted of 108 nursing students in their 3rd and 4th years, which served as the total sample of the study. Pretesting of the instrument with six (6) students and five (5) nurse educators was conducted before the main study. All respondents completed a 5-point scale questionnaire in their own time after completing an informed consent form to participate in the study. It took around 30 minutes to complete the instrument that was returned in an enclosed envelope. Descriptive and inferential statistics included an Exploratory Factor Analysis that indicated the reliability of the instrument through the Cronbach’s Alphas (∝) of the three factors, with values between 0.766595 to 0.888589. The Pearson Square Test (𝑥𝑥2) and The Likelihood Ratio Test (refined the Pearson Test and determined the best data distribution given in a specific situation in the data), were conducted using the significance level of p < 0.05. Significant differences were found between the responses of the 3rd and 4th year senior students on their willingness (defined as readiness) to participate in some of the new digital technological developments in a nursing environment. Validity and reliability were ensured throughout the research process. Ethical principles, such as the right to privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity, withdrawing from the study, the principle of beneficence, and justice, were followed. The findings indicated a total willingness of around half of the students on their psychological awareness of a new approach in using Information Technology devices that will require a changed perspective in delivering nursing care. An unwillingness among a third of the students indicated that they were not ready for digitalisation, which would change the traditional methods of nursing treatments. In Factor 1, on the improvement that the role of Information Technology brings to the delivery of effective nursing care, indicated significant differences in the responses amongst the 3rd and 4th years on aspects around the topics of (i) skills development, (ii) social and interpersonal relationships, and (iii) knowledge. In Factor 2, on a new approach in using Information Technology devices that will require a changed perspective, significant differences were found in the responses between 3rd and 4th years on aspects around topics of; (i) psychological awareness, (ii) skills development and (iii) knowledge on Items 25 and 37. In Factor 3, on staff insecurity of their future role in a changing nurse-patient environment, significant differences between the responses of 3rd and 4th years were found on aspects of; (i) psychological awareness, (ii) social and interpersonal relationships, and (iii) knowledge. The conclusion of this study indicated that despite challenges in adapting to the changing focus of using IT in delivering healthcare, student nurses varied in the extent of their willingness to participate in using digital technology in their practice. As technology continues to grow rapidly in the healthcare sector, it is recommended that nurse educators keep their adopted teaching strategies in both clinical and classroom teaching, on par with the pace at which the use of digital technology is implemented in nursing practices, to complement the learning of nursing students. To meet the demands of the 4IR and other forthcoming industries of the new healthcare era, the researcher recommends that further studies explore the implementation on the use of technology by nurse educators and students in nursing education.
Additional information
Thesis (Master of Nursing Science)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2026
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