Literacy and Health: New Perspectives in Care
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Self-care Management".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2026
Special Issue Editors
2. Nursing Department, Facultat d’Infermeria i Podologia, Universitat de València, 46010 València, Spain
3. Grupo Investigación en Cuidados (INCLIVA), Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, 46010 València, Spain
Interests: addictions; primary health care; intensive care; digital divide; simulation; nursing education; health literacy; patients’ education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Nursing Department, Facultat d’Infermeria i Podologia, Universitat de València, 46010 València, Spain
3. Internal Medicine, Consorcio Hospital General Universitario, 46014 Valencia, Spain
Interests: chronic illnesses; heart failure; palliative care; digital divide; psychometrics; simulation; nursing education; health literacy; patients’ education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: addictions; primary health care; intensive care; digital divide; simulation; nursing education; health literacy; patients’ education
2. Research Group in Care GRUPAC, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
Interests: addictions; primary health care; intensive care; digital divide; simulation; nursing education; health literacy; patients’ education
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The purpose of this Special Issue is to delve deeper into the relationship between literacy and health, highlighting how access to, understanding of, and effective use of information directly impact quality of life and healthcare. It recognizes that health literacy goes beyond the ability to read and write; it involves understanding medical information, making informed decisions, and actively participating in self-care. This Special Issue also addresses current challenges, such as the digital divide and inequalities in access to reliable resources, which limit the participation of certain groups in their own care. The intention is to provide a space that promotes reflection and research on how healthcare professionals, institutions, and systems can integrate health literacy strategies to ensure more inclusive, effective, and person-centered care. By highlighting these dimensions, the aim is to foster an approach that improves both the quality of care and the population’s capacity to manage their health autonomously, strengthening more equitable, informed, and healthy societies. This Special Issue aims to be a catalyst for dialogue, innovation, and the implementation of best practices that position health literacy as a strategic pillar of healthcare. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Health literacy assessment and interventions;
- Digital health literacy and the impact of the digital divide;
- Patient education and empowerment;
- Nursing and health professions education;
- Innovation in health communication;
- Quality of care and patient safety;
- Strategies to reduce health inequalities;
- Integration of health literacy in clinical practice;
- Community-based health literacy initiatives;
- Evaluation of knowledge and comprehension in patients and caregivers.
Dr. Antonio Martinez-Sabater
Dr. Elena Chover-Sierra
Dr. Noelia Navas-Echazarreta
Dr. Pablo del Pozo-Herce
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- digital divide
- health literacy
- patient safety
- digital health literacy
- patient education
- nursing
- primary care
- community health
- community health nursing
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