Health Literacy and eHealth: Challenges and Strategies

Updated

健康素養 (HL) 對患者預後的影響甚鉅,有限的健康素養是改善全球癌症護理的主要障礙。HL 是指個人能夠以積極參與其健康決策的方式獲取、處理和理解資訊的程度。此前的研究發現,發達國家近一半的人口在理解健康相關資訊方面存在困難。隨著腫瘤學逐漸轉向共享決策過程和數位化轉型,解決低 HL 問題的需求至關重要。腫瘤學的決策往往伴隨著對患者生活的相當大的影響,這需要患者了解複雜的資訊,並能夠通過考慮自己的價值觀來比較治療方法。患者如何感知健康資訊受到多種因素的影響,包括患者的特徵和向患者提供資訊的方式。目前,識別具有低 HL 的患者和簡單的數據可視化是幫助患者和臨床醫生處理有限的健康素養的最佳實踐。此外,使用 eHealth 以及讓 HL 調解員參與進來,可以幫助患者理解複雜的資訊。

Given the impact of health literacy (HL) on patients' outcomes, limited health literacy is a major barrier to improve cancer care globally. HL refers to the degree in which an individual is able to acquire, process, and comprehend information in a way to be actively involved in their health decisions. Previous research found that almost half of the population in developed countries have difficulties in understanding health-related information. With the gradual shift toward the shared decision making process and digital transformation in oncology, the need for addressing low HL issues is crucial. Decision making in oncology is often accompanied by considerable consequences on patients' lives, which requires patients to understand complex information and be able to compare treatment methods by considering their own values. How health information is perceived by patients is influenced by various factors including patients' characteristics and the way information is presented to patients. Currently, identifying patients with low HL and simple data visualizations are the best practice to help patients and clinicians in dealing with limited health literacy. Furthermore, using eHealth, as well as involving HL mediators, supports patients to make sense of complex information.

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