The research focuses on developing a digital competency framework to strengthen the health workforce’s ability to use digital technologies. Through a combination of systematic literature review, interviews with healthcare professionals, and expert consensus using a modified Delphi process, the project aims to identify and validate the core digital competences required across diverse healthcare roles. The resulting framework is designed to be adaptable and context-sensitive, supporting the effective integration of digital tools in clinical practice and addressing the evolving needs of healthcare systems.

This research is supported by funding from the Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme.

Patients’ expectations of their medications are increasingly recognized as important factors that can shape the outcomes of therapy. Expectations influence how patients perceive the effectiveness of treatment, how they tolerate potential side effects, and their overall satisfaction with care. In the context of rheumatic conditions, where treatment is often long-term, complex, and aimed not only at reducing disease activity but also at improving quality of life, understanding patients’ expectations becomes particularly important.

Unmet expectations may lead to dissatisfaction, poor adherence, and reduced trust in therapy, while realistic and positive expectations can enhance treatment engagement and potentially improve clinical outcomes. By investigating patients’ expectations regarding the effectiveness, safety, and broader impact of their medications, this research seeks to provide insights into how these expectations influence treatment satisfaction and outcomes in rheumatology.

The project focuses on understanding how organisational culture in healthcare influences patient safety, with a particular emphasis on medication safety. Organisational culture- the shared values, behaviours, and assumptions within a healthcare setting, can significantly shape how medicines are prescribed, administered, and monitored. The study involves a systematic reviews to identify and evaluate the tools currently used to measure organisational culture in relation to patients and medicines. By assessing the reliability, validity, and theoretical underpinnings of these tools, the research aims to identify the most effective methods for capturing cultural attributes that impact medication safety. The outcomes are expected to inform future organisational policies, training programmes, and quality improvement initiatives, ultimately contributing to safer healthcare delivery.

This work is being done as part of the Safe Meds project funded by Xjenza Malta, through the Research Networking Scheme RNS-2024-071, in collaboration with the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, The University of Sydney, Australia and Touro University California, USA.

One of our main areas of research utilises the Theory of Planned Behaviour to study the beliefs and attitudes which may influence behaviour in the use of medicines. Examples of this work include the study of vaccine hesitancy both during and post the COVID-19 pandemic, initially focusing on the COVID-19 vaccine and later also including the influenza vaccine. We also examined the potential acceptance of a combined COVID-19 and Influenza vaccine by the population. Currently we are studying the determinants of the use of paracetamol in children aged 5 and under by their parents/guardians. Other studies using social cognition models include exploring the beliefs about medicines in patients taking biologic medicine for various conditions.

Patients with low health literacy are known to have worse health outcomes in general and even experience significant challenges in relation to their medication. The World Health Organisation urges countries to embrace digital health as this is seen as the way forward to promote healthy lives and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere, at all ages. Yet, we must ensure that it does not lead to further inequity in already disadvantaged individuals. Therefore studying  health literacy and digital health literacy in disadvantaged populations will enable us to address their specific needs. We have been studying health literacy and digital health literacy trends for over recent years. This research reflects changes in literacy trends over time.