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Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy
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Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Informatics and Big Data".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 16196

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Eveline J. M. Wouters

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. TRANZO Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing, TS Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
2. Fontys School for Allied Health Professions, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: technology acceptance; health care; technological and social innovation; implementation; co-creation; multi-stakeholder perspective
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Anne Mie A. G. Sponselee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fontys School of People and Health Studies, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: gerontechnology; technology acceptance; health literacy; digital health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Digital technology is promising with respect to accessibility of health care, in the light of current major challenges, for instance, shortage of skilled workforce, financial restraints, movement toward value-based health care and health equity. The use of digital technology, such as eHealth for monitoring and treating chronic diseases, is promising with respect to some of these challenges, but at the same time, for several reasons, has enhanced health inequity. 

Especially low health literacy, which is strongly associated with low digital literacy, is an important theme to be addressed if innovations in health care, especially technological innovations, will - apart from other challenges - contribute to the closure of the health gap between populations. 

Therefore, this Special Issue is dedicated to the subject of health literacy in relation to health inequity and the use of eHealth applications. We welcome authors to submit their manuscripts on, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • The relationship between digital technology and health literacy;
  • The consequences of (low) health literacy and accessibility of current health care;
  • Tools to measure health literacy;
  • Interventions to address health literacy, including digital literacy;
  • Perspective and role of professionals in addressing health literacy, including digital literacy;
  • Experiences and best practices to address health literacy in the context of the current development of eHealth;
  • Examples and best practices of educational training to address health literacy issues, including digital applications.   

Prof. Dr. Eveline J. M. Wouters
Dr. Anne Mie A. G. Sponselee
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • health literacy
  • digital literacy
  • health behaviour
  • measurement tools
  • eHealth
  • digital technology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
From Validation to Assessment of e-Health Literacy: A Study among Higher Education Students in Portugal
by Leandro Oliveira, Renata Puppin Zandonadi, Eduardo Yoshio Nakano, Sulaiman Almutairi, Haitham Alzghaibi, Maria João Lima, Edite Teixeira-Lemos, Ariana Saraiva and António Raposo
Healthcare 2024, 12(16), 1626; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161626 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1532
Abstract
Despite their familiarity with technology, higher education students often lack the critical skills needed to assess the credibility of online health information, potentially impacting their health decisions and well-being. This study aims to validate and assess the e-Health Literacy Scale among those in [...] Read more.
Despite their familiarity with technology, higher education students often lack the critical skills needed to assess the credibility of online health information, potentially impacting their health decisions and well-being. This study aims to validate and assess the e-Health Literacy Scale among those in Portuguese higher education. In addition, this study focused on measuring their e-health literacy levels and investigating how these skills relate to different sociodemographic variables. This cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases. Initially, the test–retest reliability and reproducibility of measured e-health literacy were assessed with a convenience sample of 20 participants. Subsequently, the e-health scale was applied to a group of 245 Portuguese higher education students. The research took place from January 2023 to April 2024. The scale exhibited robust internal consistency and reproducibility. Male gender consistently correlates with higher levels of e-health literacy. Students demonstrate good levels of e-health literacy (24/40), reflecting their ability to effectively navigate and utilize health information online. By integrating strategies to further enhance this literacy into university health programs, students can develop essential skills necessary for making informed decisions about their health. This proactive approach not only empowers students to access reliable health resources but also fosters a culture of health literacy that can positively impact their well-being both during their academic journey and beyond graduation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy)
13 pages, 566 KiB  
Article
Developing an Instrument to Evaluate the Quality of Dementia Websites
by Yunshu Zhu, Ting Song, Zhenyu Zhang and Ping Yu
Healthcare 2023, 11(24), 3163; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11243163 - 13 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1444
Abstract
In today’s digital era, health information, especially for conditions like dementia, is crucial. This study aims to develop an instrument, demenTia wEbsite measSurement insTrument (TEST), through four steps: identifying existing instruments, determining criteria, selecting and revising measurement statements, and validating the instrument from [...] Read more.
In today’s digital era, health information, especially for conditions like dementia, is crucial. This study aims to develop an instrument, demenTia wEbsite measSurement insTrument (TEST), through four steps: identifying existing instruments, determining criteria, selecting and revising measurement statements, and validating the instrument from March to August 2020. Five health informatics experts used the content validity ratio (CVR) test for validation. Thirteen evaluators compared Fleiss Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values across four dementia websites using TEST and another tool, DISCERN. TEST consists of seven criteria and 25 measurement statements focusing on content quality (relevance, credibility, currency) and user experience (accessibility, interactivity, attractiveness, privacy). CVR = 1 confirmed all statements as essential. The TEST demonstrated stronger consistency and assessor agreement compared to DISCERN, measured by Fleiss Kappa and ICC. Overall, it is a robust tool for reliable and user-friendly dementia resources, ensuring health holistic information accessibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy)
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12 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
Possibilities, Patience, and Perseverance: A Preliminary Analysis of the Needs and Experiences of Ten Older Adults Regarding Their Use of Digital Health Technology
by Janienke Sturm, Angelique Dierick, Marilène Christianen, Marjolijn van Gelder and Eveline Wouters
Healthcare 2023, 11(11), 1612; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11111612 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2587
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic created the need to use digital health resources (DR), as they sometimes were the only option to receive healthcare or social interaction. The aim of this research is to provide insight into the experiences during the lockdown of older people [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic created the need to use digital health resources (DR), as they sometimes were the only option to receive healthcare or social interaction. The aim of this research is to provide insight into the experiences during the lockdown of older people using DR for health in general and the points of improvement they see. A qualitative study was carried out using semi-structured interviews with older persons by telephone. A total of 10 older adults participated, with a median age of 78 years, the majority having a chronic disease. The most important themes for motivation to use health-related DR were ‘urgency’ and ‘usefulness’. Experiences with DR were related to the themes ‘human contact’ and ‘communication’, which were experienced by respondents as facilitated by DR, and ‘time and energy’, which was two-sided. Additionally, most older persons worried about accessibility of DR by all older persons and the support needed. In conclusion, older persons are convinced of the urgency and the usefulness of digital technology for health and healthcare. Time and energy constraints can be alleviated by using DR on the one hand, but this can also be challenging if older persons are less digitally skilled or lack digital literacy. Good and sustained human support is therefore mandatory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy)

Review

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33 pages, 1924 KiB  
Review
Assessment Tools for Measuring Health Literacy and Digital Health Literacy in a Hospital Setting: A Scoping Review
by Eline M. Dijkman, Wouter W. M. ter Brake, Constance H. C. Drossaert and Carine J. M. Doggen
Healthcare 2024, 12(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010011 - 20 Dec 2023
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 9601
Abstract
Assessment of (digital) health literacy in the hospital can raise staff awareness and facilitate tailored communication, leading to improved health outcomes. Assessment tools should ideally address multiple domains of health literacy, fit to the complex hospital context and have a short administration time, [...] Read more.
Assessment of (digital) health literacy in the hospital can raise staff awareness and facilitate tailored communication, leading to improved health outcomes. Assessment tools should ideally address multiple domains of health literacy, fit to the complex hospital context and have a short administration time, to enable routine assessment. This review aims to create an overview of tools for measuring (digital) health literacy in hospitals. A search in Scopus, PubMed, WoS and CINAHL, following PRISMA guidelines, generated 7252 hits; 251 studies were included in which 44 assessment tools were used. Most tools (57%) were self-reported and 27% reported an administration time of <5 min. Almost all tools addressed the domain ‘understanding’ (98%), followed by ‘access’ (52%), ‘apply’ (50%), ‘appraise’ (32%), ‘numeracy’ (18%), and ‘digital’ (18%). Only four tools were frequently used: the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults ((S)TOFHLA), the Brief Health Literacy Screener (BHLS), and the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). While the NVS and BHLS have a low administration time, they cover only two domains. HLQ covers the most domains: access, understanding, appraise, and apply. None of these four most frequently used tools measured digital skills. This review can guide health professionals in choosing an instrument that is feasible in their daily practice, and measures the required domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Digital Interventions for Health: The Role of Health Literacy)
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