JMIR Form Res. 2022 Jun 8. doi: 10.2196/36206. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on healthcare 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: This study aimed to assess 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 done to describe eHealth literacy statements and key variables using SPSS v.24. Bi-variable and multivariate logistic regression was fitted to identify factors related to eHealth literacy. Variables having a p-value < 0.05 were declared statistically significant predictors.
RESULTS: A total of 383 study participants completed and returned the questionnaire with a response rate of 90.5%. Health professionals have a moderate level of eHealth literacy (mean =29.21). Most of them were aware of the available health resources located on the Internet, and know how to search, and locate these resources. However, they lack to distinguish high-quality health resources from low-quality resources. Factors that are associated with eHealth literacy were computer access, computer knowledge, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness of electronic health information resources.
CONCLUSIONS: It is crucial to provide training and support to healthcare workers on how to find, interpret, and, most importantly, evaluate the quality of health information found on the Internet in order to improve their eHealth literacy level. Further study is needed to explore the role of eHealth literacy in mitigating pandemics in developing countries.
PMID:35737897 | DOI:10.2196/36206
