Is Electronic Health Literacy Associated with Learning Outcomes among Medical Students in the First Clinical Year?: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Medical students tend to use the internet as a primary resource when seeking health information. This study aims to assess the patterns of internet use, eHL level, and learning outcomes with eHL among medical students at Chiang Mai University. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 88 medical students in the first clinical year. The eHL level was determined using the Thai version of the electronic Health Literacy Scale or eHEALS. The patient case report scores were obtained representing the learning outcome. Linear regression was used to identify factors influencing their eHL level and case report scores. Students recognized the importance and usefulness of the internet. The mean eHEALS score was 33.45. There was a lower degree of agreement on questions regarding internet usage, having skills to evaluate the resources, and confidence in using health information to make health decisions. The eHEALS score had no statistically significant association with most variables and case report scores, but with the longer time of internet use (p-value = 0.014). Although medical students perceived that they have high eHL levels, they report lower confidence in using the information. Including critical thinking skills for electronic health information in the medical curriculum could be useful.

Assessing the relationship between nutrition literacy and eating behaviors among nursing students: a cross-sectional study

“…This study showed a significant relationship between nutrition literacy and students’ exposure to nutrition-related information in universities and places of study. This finding is consistent with previous studies [ 52 , 53 ] and suggests that individuals who receive nutrition information in universities and have completed relevant nutrition courses have better nutrition literacy [ 52 ]. Additionally, using food and nutrition information obtained through various media channels may be challenging for university students due to the university’s unique environment [ 30 ].…”

Nutrition literacy differs based on demographics among University students in Bengbu, China

“…Of course, It is also associated with the number of nutrition courses and nutrition education contents. As NL is literacy focusing on nutrition-related information, medical students with more exposure to medical and health information in faculty courses perform better compared to other non-medical courses (36). However, with the exception of students pursuing medicine-related majors, university students are unlikely to have access to nutrition education (21).…”

Preface of Special Issue “21st Century Health Communication Challenges: Public Health Emergencies”

“…Indeed, it has been demonstrated [ 3 ] that the formative change proposed by online education had positive effects on academic performance, compared to the traditional face-to-face method. This has been particularly beneficial for younger students [ 3 , 7 ]. As has been observed, it has also given rise to [ 1 ] the justification for not using the masks, despite the recommendations, and the moral disconnection caused by dark personality traits, the so-called dark triad, as a self-regulatory mechanism to exclude moral self-censorship and justify ignoring recommendations to use the mask [ 1 ].…”

“…As has been observed, it has also given rise to [ 1 ] the justification for not using the masks, despite the recommendations, and the moral disconnection caused by dark personality traits, the so-called dark triad, as a self-regulatory mechanism to exclude moral self-censorship and justify ignoring recommendations to use the mask [ 1 ]. Despite the fact that current medical students are digital natives, there is still a need to improve their competencies in information and communication technology, enhance their skills and reinforce confidence to use eHealth information [ 7 ]. It is necessary for this reason to introduce literacy concepts into medical pedagogy along with workshops to improve evidence-based search and evaluation techniques to in order to acquire future competencies to foster health literacy.…”

“…Thus, it is necessary to increase the quantity of research being conducted that seeks to promote health, such as research that relates different socioeconomic variables and health in order to explain conditioning factors in this, as studied by [ 2 ]. In response to these challenges, we must propose public health intervention that improves the quality of life and reduces socioeconomic inequalities as a means of improving the quality of sleep [ 5 , 7 ].…”