Digitalisation level, strategies and interoperable standards in the nursing care sector in Germany and in international contexts: a study protocol for a systematic review

IntroductionThe nursing care sector faces significant challenges due to an ageing population and a concurrent increase in demand for care services. Digitalisation can be one way of overcoming these challenges by optimising care processes, such as streamlining documentation procedures. However, Germany remains in the early stages of digitalisation in nursing care. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the current state of digitalisation, focusing on the level of digitalisation and potential strategies for digitalisation in the nursing care sector through an international comparison.Methods and analysisThe literature databases PubMed, Embase, CINHAL and IEEE will be searched for studies published between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2023, using search strings based on the PICOS scheme (covering Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome and Study Types). This systematic review will conduct a qualitative synthesis of the included studies.Ethics and disseminationAs the present study is a systematic review and patients are not directly involved, an ethical review is not required. The findings of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and detailed reports shared with relevant stakeholders in the nursing care sector.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42024524587.