eHealth Literacy and its Associated Factors Among Health Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Resource-Limited Settings: Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on health care systems and governments worldwide. Although eHealth literacy is acknowledged as a critical component of public health, it was overlooked during the pandemic. To assist patients and their families, health professionals should be knowledgeable about online health information resources and capable of evaluating relevant online information. In a resource-constrained situation, the level of eHealth literacy among health professionals is not well documented. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the eHealth literacy level and its associated factors among health professionals working in Amhara regional state teaching hospitals, Ethiopia. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used in an institutional-based cross-sectional study design. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe eHealth literacy statements and key variables using SPSS v.24. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fit to identify factors related to eHealth literacy. Variables with P<.05 were declared to be statistically significant predictors. Results A total of 383 participants completed and returned the questionnaire with a response rate of 90.5%. Health professionals demonstrated a moderate level of eHealth literacy (mean 29.21). Most of the professionals were aware of the available health resources located on the internet, and know how to search and locate these resources. However, they lack the ability to distinguish high-quality health resources from low-quality resources. Factors that were significantly associated with eHealth literacy were computer access, computer knowledge, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness of eHealth information resources. Conclusions It is crucial to provide training and support to health care workers on how to find, interpret, and, most importantly, evaluate the quality of health information found on the internet to improve their eHealth literacy level. Further research is needed to explore the role of eHealth literacy in mitigating pandemics in developing countries.

eHealth literacy among hospital health care providers: a systematic review

“…Two publications did not define the concept of eHealth literacy [ 29 , 35 ], four publications more or less described eHealth literacy without using an established definition [ 25 , 27 , 32 , 37 ], and eight used the established definition of eHealth literacy defined by Norman and Skinner in 2006 [ 7 , 8 ]. Nine of the included publications used the eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) as a measure of eHealth literacy, which represents domains dependent on the basic individual eHealth literacy [ 25 , 26 , 30 – 34 , 36 , 37 ]. One publication used the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI), which represents the domains dependent on the basic individual eHealth literacy and on how the individual interacts with the eHealth system [ 28 ].…”

“…However, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean eHEALS score for physicians (mean score of 30.7) and nurses (mean score of 27.6) [ 37 ]. The studies from Ethiopia, which included three or more health care providers in their sample, reported a mean eHEALS score of 27.8 [ 33 ] and 29.2 [ 34 ]. The latter studies categorised eHealth literacy as high or low, and reported that 59% [ 34 ] and 70% [ 33 ] of the health care providers had high eHealth literacy.…”

“…The studies from Ethiopia, which included three or more health care providers in their sample, reported a mean eHEALS score of 27.8 [ 33 ] and 29.2 [ 34 ]. The latter studies categorised eHealth literacy as high or low, and reported that 59% [ 34 ] and 70% [ 33 ] of the health care providers had high eHealth literacy.…”

“…Moreover, a higher score on the eHEALS was associated with better health promoting behaviour [ 30 , 31 , 36 ], and work-related factors, such as a better collegial nurse-physician relationship and nurse participation in hospital affairs [ 32 ]. Those with a higher eHEALS score had better computer access, and knowledge, and perceived digital tools as useful and ease to use [ 34 , 35 ]. Finally, the perception of cyberchondria explained 12% of the total variance in eHealth literacy [ 25 ].…”

Obstacles to Health Big Data Utilization Based on the Perceptions and Demands of Health Care Workers in South Korea: Web-Based Survey Study

“…(1) currently working in South Korea as a doctor, nurse, medical technician, pharmacist, hospital employee, pharmaceutical company or medical equipment company employee, health care-related department professor, or health care-related field researcher and (2) those who voluntarily agreed to participate. The number of participants was calculated as 384, which satisfies the confidence level of 95% and the maximum sampling error of 5%, and finally, 400 people were surveyed in consideration of the dropout rate [16][17][18].…”