Approaches to Improvement of Digital Health Literacy (eHL) in the Context of Person-Centered Care

Theresa Sophie Busse, Julia Nitsche, Sven Kernebeck, Chantal Jux, Jürgen Weitz, Jan P. Ehlers and Ulrich Bork
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Theresa Sophie Busse: Department of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Julia Nitsche: Department of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Sven Kernebeck: Department of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Chantal Jux: Department of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Jürgen Weitz: Department of GI-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Dresden Technical University, University Hospital Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
Jan P. Ehlers: Department of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Ulrich Bork: Department of GI-, Thoracic- and Vascular Surgery, Dresden Technical University, University Hospital Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: The skills, knowledge and resources to search for, find, understand, evaluate and apply health information is defined as health literacy (HL). If individuals want to use health information from the Internet, they need Digital Health Literacy (eHL), which in addition to HL also includes, for example, media literacy. If information cannot be found or understood by patients due to low (e)HL, patients will not have the opportunity to make informed decisions. In addition, many health apps for self-management or prevention also require (e)HL. Thus, it follows that active participation in healthcare, in terms of Person-Centered Care (PCC) is only possible through (e)HL. Currently, there is a great need to strengthen these competencies in society to achieve increased empowerment of patients and their health. However, at the same time, there is a need to train and improve competencies in the field of healthcare professionals so that they can counsel and guide patients. This article provides an overview with a focus on HL and eHL in healthcare, shows the opportunities to adapt services and describes the possible handling of patients with low (e)HL. In addition, the opportunities for patients and healthcare professionals to improve (e)HL are highlighted.

Keywords: health literacy; ehealth literacy; technology; eHealth; digital medicine; mHealth; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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