Empowering the digital health workforce in Latin America in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the Peruvian case.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant gaps in healthcare access, quality, and the urgent need for enhancing the capacity of digital health human resources, particularly in Latin America. During the pandemic, online courses and telehealth initiatives supported by governmental agencies, the Pan American Health Organization, and other public and private resources, have played a crucial role in meeting training demands. This article discusses the role of capacity building programs in digital health within the context of Latin America, with a specific focus on the Peruvian case. We highlight the development of digital health competencies and related policies, while also describing selected experiences related to capacity building in this field. Additionally, we discuss the pivotal role of collaborative partnerships among institutions and countries, emphasizing the importance of culturally relevant training programs in digital health. These initiatives have the potential to accelerate training and research opportunities in Latin America, drawing on the involvement of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry, universities, professional societies, and communities.

COVID-19 reveals the urgent need to strengthen nursing informatics competencies: a view from Peru.

The COVID-19 pandemic requires an urgent action to transform health-care delivery and to promote research and capacity-building nursing programs. Specifically, many countries at the global level have described nursing informatics as an essential competence for nurse professionals. In Peru, nursing personnel represents the largest health workforce group and nursing informatics is still emerging, but the field appear to hold much promise. In this sense, the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MoH) defined in 2020 the core nursing competences, which included a technology and innovation domain. The competence established to apply scientifically based technology and innovation to improve the processes or health service resources. The minimum competencies established by the MoH were as follows: to carry out innovations in processes or resources in their different professional performance areas, to creatively adapt technology in different areas of professional performance, to make rational and ethical use of health technologies with focus on new developments that will be evaluated and applied critically, and to manage information and communication technologies, and health information systems, with emphasis on telehealth (i.e. telemedicine, telecare management, tele-education, and tele-training). Besides the nursing competences defined by the MoH is a good starting point, this special contribution discusses the urgent need to strengthen nursing informatics competencies in Peru.

Programas de capacitación para el fortalecimiento de capacidades en informática en enfermería: una perspectiva peruana

RESUMEN El personal de enfermería tiene el gran desafío de aprovechar los nuevos recursos tecnológicos para llevar a cabo su trabajo de manera más eficiente y efectiva. La informática en enfermería se ha descrito como una competencia esencial para los profesionales de enfermería en varios países. En Perú, el personal de enfermería es predominantemente femenino y representa la mayor fuerza de trabajo en el sistema de salud. Este artículo analiza los desafíos para los programas de capacitación para el desarrollo de capacidades en informática en enfermería en el Perú. En general, la literatura publicada sobre los programas de capacitación en informática en enfermería en el Perú es escasa. Solo una de cada cuatro universidades peruanas ofrece cursos relacionados con informática en salud en los programas académicos de pregrado en enfermería. En el 2020, el Ministerio de Salud del Perú definió las competencias básicas de enfermería para gestionar las tecnologías de información y comunicación, y los sistemas de información de salud, incluida la telemedicina. Sin embargo, la informática en enfermería aún no se ha extendido ampliamente en el Perú debido a desafíos organizacionales, de recursos, y factores culturales y socio-técnicos. Además, las pandemias, como el COVID-19, requieren una acción urgente para transformar la prestación de atención de la salud, para expandir los programas e iniciativas de teleenfermería y la educación a distancia en el Perú. Es esencial promover programas de investigación y desarrollo de capacidades en informática en enfermería en el Perú y fomentar redes de colaboración global entre instituciones públicas y privadas.

ABSTRACT Nursing personnel has to face the great challenge of taking advantage of new technological resources to carry out their work in a more efficient and effective way. Nursing informatics has been described as an essential competence for nurse professionals in several countries. In Peru, nursing personnel is predominantly female and represents the largest workforce group in the healthcare system. This article discusses the challenges for capacity-building training programs in nursing informatics in Peru. In general, the published literature on nursing informatics training programs in Peru is rather scarce. Only one out of four Peruvian universities offer courses related to health informatics in undergraduate nursing academic programs. In 2020, the Peruvian Ministry of Health defined the core nursing competences to manage information and communication technologies, and health information systems, including telemedicine. However, nursing informatics has not yet been sufficiently developed in Peru due to organizational, material, cultural and sociotechnical challenges. Moreover, pandemics such as COVID-19 require urgent action to transform health care delivery, to expand telenursing and distance learning nursing programs and initiatives in Peru. Therefore, it is essential to promote research and capacity-building programs in nursing informatics in Peru and foster global collaborative networks between public and private institutions.

RESUMO O pessoal de enfermagem tem o grande desafio de aproveitar novos recursos tecnológicos para realizar seu trabalho de maneira mais eficiente e eficaz. A informática em enfermagem tem sido descrita como uma competência essencial para profissionais de enfermagem em vários países. No Peru, o pessoal de enfermagem é predominantemente feminino e representa o maior grupo de força de trabalho no sistema de saúde. Este artigo discute os desafios dos programas de treinamento de capacitação em informática em enfermagem no Peru. Em geral, a literatura publicada sobre os programas de treinamento em informática em enfermagem no Peru é escassa. Apenas uma de cada quatro universidades peruanas oferece cursos relacionados à informática em saúde em programas académicos de graduação em enfermagem. Em 2020, o Ministério da Saúde do Peru definiu as principais competências de enfermagem no gerenciamento de tecnologias da informação e comunicação e sistemas de informação em saúde, incluindo a telemedicina. No entanto, a informática em enfermagem ainda não foi desenvolvida amplamente no Peru devido a desafios organizacionais, físicos, e fatores culturais e sociotécnicos. Além disso, pandemias como a COVID-19 exigem uma ação urgente para transformar a prestação de serviços de saúde, para expandir os programas e iniciativas de telenfermagem e o ensino a distância no Peru. É essencial promover programas de pesquisa e desenvolvimento de capacidades em informática em enfermagem no Peru e promover redes globais de colaboração entre instituições públicas e privadas.