Health Literacy and eHealth: New Challenges and Developments

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health literacy and eHealth are increasingly intertwined as digital technologies become central to health information delivery, service access, and care management. While eHealth innovations—such as patient portals, mobile health applications, telehealth platforms, and AI-supported decision tools—offer significant opportunities to improve access and engagement, they also introduce new challenges for individuals with disabilities. Barriers related to cognitive load, sensory accessibility, motor control, language complexity, and digital navigation can limit the effectiveness of otherwise well-designed digital health tools.

This journal article series examines emerging developments in eHealth through the lens of accessibility and inclusive design, highlighting how health literacy must be understood as both an individual and systemic responsibility. Contributions explore how inaccessible interfaces, poorly designed information architectures, and assumptions about users’ digital skills can exacerbate health inequities for people with physical, sensory, cognitive, and neurodiverse disabilities. At the same time, the series showcases promising approaches, including co-design with disabled users, adaptive interfaces, multimodal communication, plain-language standards, and assistive technology integration.

By foregrounding accessibility, the series argues for a shift from compliance-based models toward universal design and participatory development in eHealth. Together, these articles advance practical, policy-relevant insights to ensure that digital health systems support meaningful understanding, autonomy, and equitable participation for all users.

Prof. Dr. Nikki Shaw
Prof. Dr. Alan Gillies
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education ejihpe	3.7	5.1	2011	27 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ijerph	-	9.8	2004	24 Days	CHF 2500	Submit
Nursing Reports nursrep	3.1	2.9	2011	22.7 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Sci sci	4.1	5.4	2019	28.2 Days	CHF 1400	Submit

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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All EJIHPE IJERPH Nursing Reports Sci

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13 pages, 942 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Social Media Use: A Cross-Sectional Study of Digital Engagement and Perceived eHealth Literacy Among Nursing Students

by Rana Alaseeri and Raghad Alshammari

Nurs. Rep. 2026, 16(7), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16070251 - 18 Jul 2026

Viewed by 542

Abstract

Background/Objective: Social media platforms have become increasingly integrated into nursing students’ academic and daily lives, influencing how health-related information is accessed, evaluated, and shared. At the same time, eHealth literacy has emerged as an important competency for nursing students within contemporary digital healthcare [...] Read more.

Background/Objective: Social media platforms have become increasingly integrated into nursing students’ academic and daily lives, influencing how health-related information is accessed, evaluated, and shared. At the same time, eHealth literacy has emerged as an important competency for nursing students within contemporary digital healthcare environments. This study aimed to examine the relationship between multidimensional social networking engagement and perceived eHealth literacy among undergraduate nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used among undergraduate nursing students (N = 146). Data were collected using an electronic survey that included demographic characteristics, the Social Networking Usage Questionnaire, and the Revised eHealth Literacy Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 26. Results: Participants reported moderate-to-high social networking engagement and generally favorable perceived eHealth literacy. A strong positive correlation was identified between SNUQ and eHEALS-R scores (r = 0.75, p < 0.001), with academic use showing the strongest dimension-level association with perceived eHealth literacy. In the adjusted regression model, social networking engagement remained independently associated with perceived eHealth literacy, whereas demographic variables and daily social media use showed no significant associations. Conclusions: The findings suggest that how nursing students engage with digital platforms is associated with their confidence in accessing, evaluating, and applying online health information. Strengthening purposeful and critical digital engagement within nursing education may help prepare students for contemporary digital healthcare environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Health Literacy and eHealth: New Challenges and Developments)

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19 pages, 599 KB  

Open AccessReview

Nurses’ Roles in Supporting Digital Engagement and Self-Management in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Scoping Review

by Jalal Uddin, Tazveen Fariha, Shahida Sultana Shumi, Farzana Rahman, Md Ariful Islam, Susmita Saha Proma and Bishwajit Sarker

Nurs. Rep. 2026, 16(6), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16060191 - 4 Jun 2026

Viewed by 1755

Abstract

Background: Adults with type 2 diabetes increasingly use patient portals, telemonitoring systems, mobile applications, text messaging programs, and other digital services to support self-management. In practice, however, these approaches often still depend on nursing support to help patients understand, use, and sustain [...] Read more.

Background: Adults with type 2 diabetes increasingly use patient portals, telemonitoring systems, mobile applications, text messaging programs, and other digital services to support self-management. In practice, however, these approaches often still depend on nursing support to help patients understand, use, and sustain digital care in everyday settings. This scoping review mapped how nurses are involved in supporting adults with type 2 diabetes to use digital tools, information, and services for self-management across care settings. Methods: This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and was reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. The review question was guided by the Population, Concept, and Context framework. A literature search was conducted in January 2026 in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and EBSCO/CINAHL. A total of 230 records were identified, 71 duplicates were removed, and 159 records underwent title and abstract screening. Fifty-three full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using a structured charting table and synthesized descriptively and thematically. Results: The 15 included studies were published between 2021 and 2026 and represented evidence from 10 countries across primary care, community health centers, telehealth programs, and hospital-linked services. Five interrelated themes were identified: nurses as digital self-management educators; nurses as remote monitors and care coordinators; nurses as facilitators of digital engagement, confidence, and supported use; nurses as implementation partners in digital diabetes care; and equity, access, and context as shaping conditions of digital diabetes support. Only one study directly measured digital health literacy, whereas the remaining studies addressed digital engagement more indirectly through onboarding, portal communication, telemonitoring, reminders, tailored feedback, and implementation work. Common barriers included workload, unclear responsibilities, technical difficulties, age- or literacy-related access challenges, language needs, and uneven infrastructure. Conclusions: The included studies suggest that nurses commonly contributed to making digital diabetes care more understandable, usable, and actionable for adults with type 2 diabetes. Their roles were described across education, monitoring, coordination, implementation, and support for digital engagement. Future studies could measure digital health literacy more explicitly, describe nursing tasks in greater detail, and examine how equity-related factors shape digital diabetes care. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Health Literacy and eHealth: New Challenges and Developments)

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