Digital Competence and Use of Evidence-Based Resources in Future Nurses: A Descriptive Post-Intervention Study

Abstract

The progressive digitalization of healthcare requires nursing students to develop digital competence to safely access, evaluate, and apply scientific information in clinical practice. This study described nursing students’ perceived digital competence and confidence in using digital resources to support evidence-based clinical decision-making after a structured educational seminar. A descriptive post-intervention, single-group study was conducted with 35 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a compulsory clinical nursing course. The two-hour seminar covered evidence-based websites and clinical guidelines, biomedical database searching, and use of a wound-management mobile application. Data were collected using an anonymous 12-item Likert-scale questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.935). Domain mean scores ranged from 4.19 (SD = 0.83) to 4.51 (SD = 0.67). The highest item mean was for continuous learning (M = 4.63, SD = 0.60) and the lowest was for statistical programs (M = 4.03, SD = 0.95); intellectual property protection was also lower (M = 4.17, SD = 0.89). Spearman correlations showed no significant associations between age and any item after Bonferroni correction (adjusted α = 0.0042; all p > 0.05). These findings describe high perceived digital competence and identify areas for further educational reinforcement.