Abstract
BackgroundElectronic health (eHealth) literacy of consumers is essential in order to improve information and communication technology (ICT) use for health purposes by ordinary citizens. However, performed eHealth literacy is seldom studied. Therefore, the present study assessed perceived and performed eHealth literacy using the recent conceptualization of health literacy skills.ObjectiveThe aim of this paper was to examine the association between perceived and performed eHealth literacies.MethodsIn total, 82 Israeli adults participated in the study, all 50 years and older, with a mean age of 67 (SD 11). Of the participants, 60% (49/82) were women and 72% (59/82) had a post-secondary education. The participants were first surveyed and then tested in a computer simulation of health-related Internet tasks. Performed, perceived (eHealth Literacy Scale, eHEALS), and evaluated eHealth literacy were assessed, and performed eHealth literacy was also recorded and re-evaluated later. Performance was scored for successful completion of tasks, and was also assessed by two researchers for motivation, confidence, and amount of help provided.ResultsThe skills of accessing, understanding, appraising, applying, and generating new information had decreasing successful completion rates. Generating new information was least correlated with other skills. Perceived and performed eHealth literacies were moderately correlated (r=.34, P=.01) while facets of performance (ie, digital literacy and eHealth literacy) were highly correlated (r=.82, P<.001). Participants low and high in performed eHealth literacy were significantly different: low performers were older and had used the Internet for less time, required more assistance, and were less confident in their conduct than high performers.ConclusionsThe moderate association between perceived and performed eHealth literacy indicates that the latter should be assessed separately. In as much, the assessment of performed eHealth literacy in clinical settings should entail the structuring of tasks as well as shortening and automatizing the assessment.
Highlights
Electronic health services have been rapidly expanding in many directions [1] yet connecting end-users to newly developed information and communication technologies (ICTs) and channeling patients to new products require an assessment of compatibility
EHealth literacy has been mostly assessed with the self-report eHealth Literacy Scale measure developed by Norman and Skinner (2006)
The participants were divided into two groups, based on their performed eHealth literacy, and their scores on perceived eHealth literacy, amount of assistance provided, evaluated performance, and background characteristics compared using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure
Summary
Electronic health (eHealth) services have been rapidly expanding in many directions [1] yet connecting end-users to newly developed information and communication technologies (ICTs) and channeling patients to new products require an assessment of compatibility. Assessing users’ eHealth literacy has the potential to both align ICT technologies to consumers’ abilities to use them and empower the latter to fully participate in health-related, knowledge-based, decision-making [5]. Electronic health (eHealth) literacy of consumers is essential in order to improve information and communication technology (ICT) use for health purposes by ordinary citizens. The present study assessed perceived and performed eHealth literacy using the recent conceptualization of health literacy skills. The data for basic descriptive statistics for the key variables of background information, perceived and performed eHealth literacy was analyzed. A series of bivariate tests were conducted to assess the association between the key variables of perceived and performed eHealth literacy and with assistance provided.
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