scholarly journals How is eHealth literacy measured and what do the measurements tell us? A systematic review

The increasing use of digital services and technologies in health care calls for effective tools to evaluate the users’ eHealth literacy in order to better understand the users’ interaction with health technologies. We here present a systematic review of existing tools to measure eHealth literacy and for what these tools have been used to investigate. We identified eight tools, of which three of them are bases upon a conceptual model of eHealth literacy and the remaining five are dual tools, i.a. comprised of individual measures for health literacy and digital literacy. Of these eight tools, only one tool (The eHealth literacy Scale - eHEALS) was used in other studies than the one it was originally published in. eHEALS has primarily been used to establish eHealth literacy levels in different populations. Five of the studies have been conducted by examining eHealth literacy’s impact on health outcomes, and one study has established an association between high eHealth literacy levels and increased likelihood of attending colorectal cancer screenings in a Japanese population. The two other concept-based tools, eHLS and PRE-HIT, reflect an elaborated understanding of eHealth literacy. The five dual tools were primarily used to screen for adequate and inadequate health literacy and digital literacy. In conclusion, there is very little knowledge about individuals’ eHealth literacy and how it relates to health outcomes or the clinical course of specific diseases. New tools developed for the new age of social media and new technologies should be used as eHEALS may have some limitations.

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. e019192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Parker ◽  
Amy Prince ◽  
Louise Thomas ◽  
Hyun Song ◽  
Diana Milosevic ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to assess the benefit of using electronic, mobile and telehealth tools for vulnerable patients with chronic disease and explore the mechanisms by which these impact patient self-efficacy and self-management.DesignWe searched MEDLINE, all evidence-based medicine, CINAHL, Embase and PsychINFO covering the period 2009 to 2018 for electronic, mobile or telehealth interventions. Quality was assessed according to rigour and relevance. Those studies providing a richer description (‘thick’) were synthesised using a realist matrix.Setting and participantsStudies of any design conducted in community-based primary care involving adults with one or more diagnosed chronic health condition and vulnerability due to demographic, geographic, economic and/or cultural characteristics.ResultsEighteen trials were identified targeting a range of chronic conditions and vulnerabilities. The data provided limited insight into the mechanisms underpinning these interventions, most of which sought to persuade vulnerable patients into believing they could self-manage their conditions through improved symptom monitoring, education and support and goal setting. Patients were relatively passive in the interaction, and the level of patient response attributed to their intrinsic level of motivation. Health literacy, which may be confounded with motivation, was only measured in one study, and eHealth literacy was not assessed.ConclusionsResearch incorporating these tools with vulnerable groups is not comprehensive. Apart from intrinsic motivation, health literacy may also influence the reaction of vulnerable groups to technology. Social persuasion was the main way interventions sought to achieve better self-management. Efforts to engage patients by healthcare providers were lower than expected. Use of social networks or other eHealth mechanisms to link patients and provide opportunities for vicarious experience could be further explored in relation to vulnerable groups. Future research could also assess health and eHealth literacy and differentiate the specific needs for vulnerable groups when implementing health technologies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. S124
Author(s):  
Sarah Sprayberry ◽  
Mary Murimi ◽  
Ana Florencia Moyeda-Carabaza ◽  
Hyunjung Lee ◽  
Bong Nguyen

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Daniolou ◽  
Andreas Rapp ◽  
Celina Haase ◽  
Alfred Ruppert ◽  
Marlene Wittwer ◽  
...  

The widespread adoption of digital health technologies such as smartphone-based mobile applications, wearable activity trackers and Internet of Things systems has rapidly enabled new opportunities for predictive health monitoring. Leveraging digital health tools to track parameters relevant to human health is particularly important for the older segments of the population as old age is associated with multimorbidity and higher care needs. In order to assess the potential of these digital health technologies to improve health outcomes, it is paramount to investigate which digitally measurable parameters can effectively improve health outcomes among the elderly population. Currently, there is a lack of systematic evidence on this topic due to the inherent heterogeneity of the digital health domain and the lack of clinical validation of both novel prototypes and marketed devices. For this reason, the aim of the current study is to synthesize and systematically analyse which digitally measurable data may be effectively collected through digital health devices to improve health outcomes for older people. Using a modified PICO process and PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) framework, we provide the results of a systematic review and subsequent meta-analysis of digitally measurable predictors of morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among older adults aged 65 or older. These findings can inform both technology developers and clinicians involved in the design, development and clinical implementation of digital health technologies for elderly citizens.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Karnoe ◽  
Dorthe Furstrand ◽  
Karl Bang Christensen ◽  
Ole Norgaard ◽  
Lars Kayser

BACKGROUND To achieve full potential in user-oriented eHealth projects, we need to ensure a match between the eHealth technology and the user’s eHealth literacy, described as knowledge and skills. However, there is a lack of multifaceted eHealth literacy assessment tools suitable for screening purposes. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to develop and validate an eHealth literacy assessment toolkit (eHLA) that assesses individuals’ health literacy and digital literacy using a mix of existing and newly developed scales. METHODS From 2011 to 2015, scales were continuously tested and developed in an iterative process, which led to 7 tools being included in the validation study. The eHLA validation version consisted of 4 health-related tools (tool 1: “functional health literacy,” tool 2: “health literacy self-assessment,” tool 3: “familiarity with health and health care,” and tool 4: “knowledge of health and disease”) and 3 digitally-related tools (tool 5: “technology familiarity,” tool 6: “technology confidence,” and tool 7: “incentives for engaging with technology”) that were tested in 475 respondents from a general population sample and an outpatient clinic. Statistical analyses examined floor and ceiling effects, interitem correlations, item-total correlations, and Cronbach coefficient alpha (CCA). Rasch models (RM) examined the fit of data. Tools were reduced in items to secure robust tools fit for screening purposes. Reductions were made based on psychometrics, face validity, and content validity. RESULTS Tool 1 was not reduced in items; it consequently consists of 10 items. The overall fit to the RM was acceptable (Anderson conditional likelihood ratio, CLR=10.8; df=9; P=.29), and CCA was .67. Tool 2 was reduced from 20 to 9 items. The overall fit to a log-linear RM was acceptable (Anderson CLR=78.4, df=45, P=.002), and CCA was .85. Tool 3 was reduced from 23 to 5 items. The final version showed excellent fit to a log-linear RM (Anderson CLR=47.7, df=40, P=.19), and CCA was .90. Tool 4 was reduced from 12 to 6 items. The fit to a log-linear RM was acceptable (Anderson CLR=42.1, df=18, P=.001), and CCA was .59. Tool 5 was reduced from 20 to 6 items. The fit to the RM was acceptable (Anderson CLR=30.3, df=17, P=.02), and CCA was .94. Tool 6 was reduced from 5 to 4 items. The fit to a log-linear RM taking local dependency (LD) into account was acceptable (Anderson CLR=26.1, df=21, P=.20), and CCA was .91. Tool 7 was reduced from 6 to 4 items. The fit to a log-linear RM taking LD and differential item functioning into account was acceptable (Anderson CLR=23.0, df=29, P=.78), and CCA was .90. CONCLUSIONS The eHLA consists of 7 short, robust scales that assess individual’s knowledge and skills related to digital literacy and health literacy.


Author(s):  
Juan de Lucas Osorio

This article aims to show how the pandemic situation has given rise to the digital exodus of activities that were originally designed to be carried out in person, organized by public bodies (town councils, county council and the Andalusian Ministry of Employment, Training and Autonomous Work) and non-governmental organizations (associations, foundations of Andalusia), raising the following questions: Are face-to-face activities transferred to the digital sphere without adapting? Are there triggers to encourage participation? Do you offer a solution in terms of technological tools or digital literacy to access the activity? To give answers to these questions, between April and September 2020 we have analyzed 233 activities, 91 activities of public organizations and 142 of social entities: training course, informative workshops, conferences, orientation, and presentation of resources. In these activities the main areas covered were: employment, social revitalization, new technologies, gender equality, health, entrepreneurship and resources for youth. With these questions, necessary and current, we obtain answers that lead to a lack of transformation of face-to-face activities towards the digital field, which does not take advantage of the benefits of digital tools; Institutions and organizations do not take into account the degree of knowledge of the public with respect to communication channels and that they require them to know how to use, without forgetting the economic circumstance and assuming that each person has the necessary software and hardware to be a connected citizen. In parallel, we have discovered that this acceleration of the digital transformation of face-to-face activities has found social entities devoid of knowledge and materials. On the one hand, it does not have the materials to carry out the subsidized programs, but the administration requires it to develop them, and on the other hand, it does not have the resources to offer citizens quality technological services, since its mission was based on in the face-to-face field, for which they demand training for their workers and collaborators, as well as computer equipment not only so that citizens can participate but also so that the organization itself can develop its relationship with the administrations.


2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 1272-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darcie L Keller ◽  
Julie Wright ◽  
Heather A Pace

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-385
Author(s):  
Courtney Lynn ◽  
Lauren Quast ◽  
Hannah Rogers ◽  
Karen Effinger ◽  
Jordan Gilleland-Marchak

Abstract Objective This systematic review examined the literature regarding health literacy among pediatric cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. Specific aims were to identify and summarize measures used, levels of and demographic correlates of health literacy, effects of health literacy interventions, and associations between health literacy and health outcomes. Methods The search strategy was executed in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, and the Cochrane Library. Of the 842 unique studies retrieved, 9 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. Results Studies used a variety of validated and study-specific measures with no measure emerging as the standard. Levels of health literacy were typically assessed subjectively and across studies the majority of those sampled self-reported adequate health literacy. Few studies examined demographic correlates of health literacy, precluding the identification of consistent predictors. Health literacy intervention research for this population is in its infancy and only pilot projects were identified; effects could not be evaluated. No studies assessed the impact of health literacy on health outcomes. Conclusions Very few studies assessed health literacy in pediatric oncology. As treatment for childhood cancer becomes increasingly complex, and patients and caregivers are expected to have adequate understanding of health information, health literacy is a critical construct that should not be overlooked.


2011 ◽  
Vol 155 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy D. Berkman ◽  
Stacey L. Sheridan ◽  
Katrina E. Donahue ◽  
David J. Halpern ◽  
Karen Crotty

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efrat Neter ◽  
Esther Brainin

Abstract. The objective of this paper is to synthesize and update findings from systematic review on health literacy and health outcomes among patients with long-term conditions, and extend the review to the digital domain. Health outcomes include clinical outcomes, processes of care, and health service use. Data sources are the following: (1) studies which appeared in two previous systematic reviews in 2004 and 2011 whose participants were people with long-term conditions or elderly ( n = 54); (2) articles on health literacy and health outcomes identified in an updated 2011–2016 search ( n = 26); (3) articles on eHealth literacy and its association with health outcomes ( n = 8). Strength of evidence was determined by a qualitative assessment of risk of bias, consistency, and directness. There was a lack of consistent evidence on the relationship between health literacy and clinical outcomes despite the consistent evidence on the association with mortality. There was low to insufficient evidence on the association between health literacy and self-rated health/function and emotional states of anxiety and depression, alongside high evidence on lack of association with quality of life. There was insufficient to low evidence on the association between health literacy and behavioral outcomes (medication adherence, other health behaviors) and finally also low to moderate evidence on the association between health literacy and use of health services such as hospitalization and emergency department. In the eHealth literacy domain, there were few studies reporting association with health behaviors and self-rated health with inconsistent results. In conclusion, it is advocated to examine performed heath literacy and eHealth literacy in large longitudinal studies.


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