Health care Professionals' experiences of counselling competence in digital care pathways – A descriptive qualitative study

Abstract Aim Health care professionals are tasked with the role of supporting patients in using eHealth services in their personal care and counselling competence in digital environments to ensure appropriate patient care. Our aim was to describe health care professionals' experiences of counselling competence in Digital Care Pathways. Design A descriptive qualitative study. Methods Interviews with semi‐structured questions were conducted. Twelve healthcare professionals were interviewed. The data were analysed using inductive content analysis. The results were reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Results The analysis revealed eight distinct areas of competence related to counselling in Digital Care Pathways, namely, counselling competences related to the use of Digital Care Pathways, supporting patients' self‐care, information technology competence, competence in creating an interactive counselling relationship on the Digital Care Pathway, information management, ethical competence related to counselling in Digital Care Pathways, competence to developing Digital Care Pathways services, and change competence. No Public or Patient Contribution Due to the complex and unpredictable circumstances of COVID, people's strict confinement in the hospital prohibited free access to them and the study environment. Therefore, the professionals involved in the study were interviewed through online systems.