Exploring the status and influencing factors of nurses’ digital health literacy: a scoping review

The utilization of digital health technologies (DHT) among nurses remains notably low, primarily due to limited digital health literacy (DHL). Enhancing DHL among nursing staff is essential for improving healthcare delivery. Despite its importance, a comprehensive synthesis of existing literature on this subject is still lacking. This scoping review aims to summarize the current status, measurement instruments, and strategies to enhance nurses’ DHL, while identifying and categorizing influencing factors within a structured framework. A scoping review was conducted following a systematic search in PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, WanFang, CNKI, and VIP from inception to January 2025. Supplementary manual searches were updated in November 2025 to identify additional eligible studies published between February and November 2025, and the final eligibility cutoff for inclusion was November 2025. A total of 21 studies were included, predominantly conducted in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. The reported formats and levels of nurses’ DHL varied considerably, generally indicating low proficiency. Only four general measurement tools were identified for assessing nurses’ DHL. Factors associated with DHL among nurses were categorized into three levels based on the social ecological model: individual, interpersonal, and organizational. Furthermore, included studies suggested a model-based mediating role for DHL at the individual level, with higher DHL linked to multiple positive outcomes. Only one study proposed a training program aimed at improving nurses’ DHL; however, its effectiveness remains unverified. Research on nurses’ DHL is still emerging. There is an urgent need to develop a nursing-specific conceptual model, a standardized assessment framework, and dynamic measurement tools responsive to evolving Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 technologies. The integrated framework of influencing factors derived from the social ecological model provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for nursing leaders and researchers to develop targeted, multilevel interventions aimed at enhancing nurses’ DHL. Open Science Framework website (OSF.IO/N9HWQ).