Tackling eHealth Literacy

Posted on by Lourdes M. Martinez, PhD, Health Communications Specialist, Office of the Associate Director for Communication

A female doctor discussing records with a senior female patient.

Photo of Lourdes M. Martinez, PhD, Health Communications Specialist, Office of the Associate Director for Communication
Lourdes M. Martinez, PhD, Health Communications Specialist, Office of the Associate Director for Communication

As I waited in the exam room on a recent visit to my doctor’s office, I noticed there was a large wall display with an interactive screen. It resembled a smartphone and I could use the touchscreen to scroll and learn about various conditions, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and colon health. Each menu included signs and symptoms of illness, and information on diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. The designs were bright, jargon was kept to a minimum and defined when used, and navigating was simple for routine smartphone users. The display also included short videos supporting the on-screen text.

“Great!” I thought, “But what about patients who don’t have strong English skills or those who don’t feel confident engaging with the display? How do they get the information if they don’t directly ask for it?”

As a health communication specialist in CDC’s health literacy program, my job requires me to think about answers to those questions. Findings from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy suggest limited health literacy is a problem for many people and an issue that public health and health care professionals can take action to improve.

Understanding eHealth

These days it seems like everyone has a smartphone. Health services are increasingly being delivered through web-based and mobile resources. Examples of electronic health (eHealth) services include electronic communication between patients and providers, electronic medical records, patient portals, and personal health records. Mobile health (mHealth), a subcategory of eHealth, includes using tablets and phones to access apps and wearable tracking devices.

Health literacy refers to a person's ability to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions about their health.As these technical advancements increase so do the demands on a person’s health literacy. As a result, people with limited health literacy may have more challenges accessing health information. It is important to understand how a person’s level of health literacy can influence use. Equally important is how health professionals and communication specialists can provide support for those who may have difficulty using eHealth systems.

Learning from research

We recently posted a research summary called eHealth literacy: Playing catch-up with eHealth on CDC’s Health Literacy website. There are a few important lessons from these studies, including

  • A growing number of studies are exploring the use of eHealth resources and self-management of chronic conditions.
  • Three common characteristics that may limit use of eHealth resources were older age, lower household income level, and limited health literacy.
  • Even when research participants reported high confidence in knowing where to go to find health information, they did not report the same level of confidence in assessing the quality of materials or using them to make health-related decisions.

Taking action

As organizations continue to develop and promote use of eHealth resources we must consider how health literacy and eHealth literacy influence how they are being used.

Health professionals can:

  • Ask your patient how confident they feel managing their own health
  • Identify the knowledge or skill gaps and create a plan with your patient
  • Give your patient a recommendation for top sources of health information on the web
  • Ask your patient about their preferred and available communication options – in person, email, apps, patient portal
  • Be familiar with your organization’s language translation services
  • Evaluate your office’s web content

Communication professionals can:

  • Use plain language strategies
  • Assess readability of all materials
  • Use Health Literacy Online recommendations
  • Incorporate images and graphics that complement and reinforce text
  • Design materials for people with limited English skills
  • Consider demographic characteristics when determining the channel and source for different audience segments

People can:

  • Ask questions and repeat information when talking to your doctor or nurse to make sure you understand what they are telling you
  • Bring all of your medicines, including vitamins and herbal medicine, to your next doctor’s visit to review how to take them
  • Let the doctor’s office know if you need an interpreter if you don’t speak or understand English

Lourdes M. Martinez, PhD is a health communication specialist in the Office of the Associate Director for Communication. In her role, Dr. Martinez leads staff training on plain language principles to facilitate understanding and application of clear health communication for web, social and digital media projects, and print materials. She also assists programs across the agency to develop and implement strategic communication plans to advance clear communication practices.

The Communication Research and Evaluation blog series highlights innovative research and evaluation methods used at CDC to improve behavior change campaigns.

Posted on by Lourdes M. Martinez, PhD, Health Communications Specialist, Office of the Associate Director for CommunicationTags , , , , , ,

5 comments on “Tackling eHealth Literacy”

Comments listed below are posted by individuals not associated with CDC, unless otherwise stated. These comments do not represent the official views of CDC, and CDC does not guarantee that any information posted by individuals on this site is correct, and disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from reliance on any such information. Read more about our comment policy ».

    As a Registered Nurse, assisting patient in making health decision and advocating is a big part of our job. You mentioned that patient can get great information regarding their health condition from the doctor office and online, but not all patients may benefit from those information for several reasons: health literacy and language barriers. Our today society is so diversified and many patients speak other languages than English; interpreters are often needed, and that is a barrier to quality care. The nurse is the person from the healthcare team that spend more time at bedside, and if he/she cannot communicate effectively with his/her patient, it is a barrier to proper care. Health literacy should be taking into account when communicating with patients, for

    As a Registered Nurse, assisting patient in making health decision and advocating is a big part of our job. You mentioned that patient can get great information regarding their health condition from the doctor office and online, but not all patients may benefit from those information for several reasons: health literacy and language barriers. Our today society is so diversified and many patients speak other languages than English; interpreters are often needed, and that is a barrier to quality care. The nurse is the person from the healthcare team that spend more time at bedside, and if he/she cannot communicate effectively with his/her patient, it is a barrier to proper care. Health literacy should be taking into account when communicating with patients, for

    This blog covers some very important information. We as healthcare providers need to make sure we understand the level of understanding our patients have when it comes to making health care decisions. I feel that a lot of people really don’t understand the procedures they have or the extent of their illnesses because they don’t understand what they are told and they are too embarrassed to ask for more explanation. As a nurse I always try to talk to my patient to see what they know about their illness and if they need more information about taking care of themselves. eHealth is a very good way to provide patient information and offering patient education but knowing who can access it and who can understand it is also very important. Maybe offering patients learning opportunities so they can learn how to use these resources or offering information on what sites are credible and what ones aren’t would also be helpful. With these resources available we as nurses should try to make sure our patients can utilize these free methods of getting important healthcare information.

    eHealth is an important topic discussed in this blog. It is important working in the healthcare field to understand exactly what our patient’s communication needs are in order to provide accurate education and the information they need to manage to chronic health conditions. While it is important to utilize eHealth, it is also important not to forget the personalized aspect due to language barriers and limited access to internet resources. Communication and education needs vary from person to person.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All comments posted become a part of the public domain, and users are responsible for their comments. This is a moderated site and your comments will be reviewed before they are posted. Read more about our comment policy »

Page last reviewed: March 5, 2018
Page last updated: March 5, 2018