Digital health literacy is being able to seek, find, understand, and apply health information from electronic sources to address health-related problems. The need for digital literacy increases as more individuals turn to the internet for health information and services. The skill set associated with digital literacy includes technical abilities like using digital services and accessing online platforms while also using critical thinking to evaluate the credibility of health information.
Healthcare systems have adopted more digital tools like telemedicine and mobile health applications, requiring patients to have the skills to navigate these platforms effectively. Research indicates that higher levels of digital health literacy correlate with improved health outcomes. For example, people with strong digital literacy skills demonstrate greater self-efficacy in managing chronic conditions.
According to a manual on health literacy published by the American Medical Association, “There are many factors that contribute to an individual’s health literacy, the most obvious being the individual’s general literacy, or ability to read, write, and understand written material…Other factors include the individual’s amount of experience in the healthcare system, the complexity of the information being presented, cultural factors that may influence decision making, and how the material is communicated.” By improving digital literary, patients are more likely to be informed about their health and able to make use of technological advancements.
Necessary skills include:
The promotion of digital literacy programs does not typically fall under the definition of marketing by HIPAA.