From skills to smart care: The mediating role of digital literacy in the relationship between digital competence and medical artificial intelligence readiness among nursing students
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare requires nurses to possess strong digital competence, advanced digital literacy, and readiness to engage with AI technologies. Despite this need, the ways in which digital competence influences AI readiness, and the mediating role of digital literacy, remain underexplored. This descriptive cross-sectional study examined 500 undergraduate nursing students from two Universities for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia and Egypt using validated measures of digital competence, digital literacy, and medical AI readiness. Results indicated strong positive correlations between digital competence, digital literacy, and AI readiness, with digital literacy partially mediating the effect of digital competence on AI readiness. These findings highlight the importance of integrating ethical, reflective, and AI-focused digital literacy alongside technical skills in nursing education, ensuring that future nurses are prepared to use medical AI effectively and safely, thereby supporting clinical decision-making and improving quality of care.
Source: PLoS ONE
Authors: Shaimaa Mohamed Amin, Heba Emad El‑Gazar, Sameer A. Alkubati, Mohamed Ali Zoromba, Heba Sobhy Mohamed, Mohammed Adel Abd Elhafeez Elbakry, Ahmed Farghaly Tawfik, Mohamed Hussein Ramadan Atta, Abeer Abd Elaziz Madian, Haitham Mokhtar Mohamed Abdallah, Hanadi Dakhilallah, Azza Abd Elrazek Baraka
Institutions: Qassim University, Damanhour University, Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University, University of Ha'il, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Mansoura University, Zagazig University, Northern Border University, Alexandria University, Jouf University, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
OpenAlex ID: W7222230943