In a bid to strengthen the connection between scientific knowledge and healthcare practice, Digi4MSK embarks on a 36-month journey of innovation, digital skill enhancement, and transformative education. The project is poised to reshape musculoskeletal health literacy in the digital era, with a mission to empower both healthcare professionals and the broader community.

The project “Innovation Alliance for musculoskeletal health literacy in the digital era: Digi4MSK” is funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme through the call “Partnerships for Innovation: Alliances”. Digi4MSK will have a duration of 36 months, starting in October, 2023. Its mission is to revolutionise the landscape of musculoskeletal health literacy in the digital age. Through innovative educational methods and content development, including curricula enhancements, the initiative aims to strengthen the bridge between scientific knowledge and both healthcare professionals and the broader community. A key focus of this effort is to enhance digital skills among these groups, ultimately fostering a more informed and digitally proficient society. The specific objectives of this study are outlined as follows:

• Enhance digital skills for healthcare professionals to access quality scientific knowledge and align their practice with high-value healthcare standards and labour market demands.
• Improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge and skills in educating and prescribing self-management for patients with musculoskeletal painful disorders using digital tools.
• Increase musculoskeletal health literacy through enhanced digital skills for accessing information online and facilitating self-management of specific musculoskeletal disorders.

To achieve these goals, Digi4MSK has brought together a diverse consortium of higher education institutions (HEIs), research organisations, vocational education and training (VET) providers, professional associations, and businesses spanning various sectors. The project is coordinated by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Fundación Universidad San Jorge (Spain) and it includes eight other partners: Aalborg Universitet (Denmark), University of Limerick (Ireland), European Pain Federation (Belgium), Ospedale Galeazzi (Italy), VITECO e-learning solutions (Italy), SYNYO (Austria), INP Formación (Spain), and Irudigital (Spain). In total, 7,321 persons-month are allocated among all partners.

SYNYO will leverage its social research expertise in this project. Its main role is to lead and conduct research activities focused on exploring and analysing digital behaviours and trends on online musculoskeletal health content, which are adopted by both healthcare professionals and non-health professionals’ communities. Initially, the project will design a methodological framework for two research approaches: a general analysis of internet search trends and a detailed survey-based analysis of digital behaviours. Then, data will be collected and analysed, culminating in the production of a final report on this topic. This report will serve as the cornerstone for subsequent project activities, including the formulation of educational strategies tailored to benefit healthcare professionals and non-health professionals’ communities. Other activities of the project involve:

• Systematic reviews about self-management and education on musculoskeletal painful disorders based on online content.
• Organisation of the gathered knowledge for providing targeted content to be used in the project’s activities.
• Development of screening questionnaires to assess the level of musculoskeletal health literacy and digital
• Creation of educational materials based on the previous project’s activities.
• Implementation of educational strategies, aiming at great impact on target groups.
• Dissemination and exploitation of the project’s results.

Ultimately, Digi4MSK will play a pivotal role in increasing the musculoskeletal health literacy in the digital era.

Keywords

Musculoskeletal disorders, Health literacy, Digital behaviour, Digital skills, Educational strategies