Electronic Health Literacy perspectives, education and digital tools – eHELPED-iT

The importance of eHealth literacy (eHL) has been recognised and widely appreciated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), especially in the light of the rapid growth in the use of technology and the Internet for health information search and the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the Internet. Although the WHO has not published a specific report on eHealth literacy or digital health literacy, it has published some information on health literacy (WHO Report, Health Literacy: The Solid Facts, 2013), which has highlighted the importance of understanding and using health information in the digital age. Another report focusing on broader strategies (WHO Report, Global Strategy for Digital Health (2020-2024), 2022) highlighted that eHL will be part of a broader set of policies to harness the potential benefits of digital tools and technologies. We will address the priority of digital transformation by developing digital literacy, raising awareness among medical and allied health students of the importance and benefits of eHL, and by developing and implementing a specific eHL curriculum to develop eHL skills, including information, traditional, media, health, science, computer and technological literacy (Norman and Skinner, 2006). As eHL is process-oriented and evolves with new technologies, it is important to address the issue of digital resilience by teaching medical and allied health students how to continuously adapt to the changing health context. Stimulating and innovative learning and teaching practices will be reflected in methodologies based on creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and integration of new technologies. The eHL web platform will include tools for self-assessment of users’ level of eHL, but will also address other variables that have not yet been explored in relation to eHL, such as imposter syndrome, reliability of the source and self-efficacy. Depending on the results of the tests, each user will receive a personalised message that can facilitate his/her self-learning process for eHL. The training programme will consist of practical hands-on sessions that may focus on critical evaluation of online health information, the development of online health promotion materials that present information in a clear, accessible and engaging manner, and effective collaborative information sharing. Shared values, civic engagement and participation – the eHealth Education Policy Toolkit will reflect the Consortium’s shared principles and will be developed on the basis of the principles of collaboration and responsiveness to the community that guide and support collective decision making. As the eHL Policy Toolkit is a statement of civic engagement, it is also a contribution to the well-being of the community and to positive social change through the implementation of the eHL policy framework.

The eHELP-EU project aims to: – Raise awareness of the importance of eHL in medical and allied health services (WP2 – eHL Guide). This will be assessed by providing up-to-date information and evidence-based examples on eHL, eHL components and eHL skills for medical and allied health professionals, existing eHL systems, benefits and barriers to eHL implementation (at individual, organisational and societal levels), factors influencing eHL (individual – socio-demographic, imposter syndrome, self-efficacy and context-specific characteristics of source credibility), as well as strategies and interventions to enhance eHL skills and competences of medical and allied health professionals at individual, organisational and societal levels.

All project results have added value at European level by supporting multiculturalism, cooperation and inclusive lifelong learning. Therefore, all deliverables will be designed to be accessible and interactive for people from different cultural and educational backgrounds in order to adapt them to different learning styles. By presenting the content of the outcomes in all languages of the partner countries and promoting linguistic diversity, accessibility for non-English speakers is ensured. Cooperation between the partner countries is shaped by cross-border activities and initiatives at different stages of the project, designing, testing and integrating the feedback provided. This exchange of practices and knowledge contributes to a more interconnected education system, which facilitates the development of cross-sectoral cooperation between individuals with different professional backgrounds: in the fields of educational sciences, IT, psychology, linguistics, healthcare and marketing. In addition, cross-border cooperation provides the opportunity to interact with a wider range of experts, learners and practitioners in joint activities, and promotes the practice of cultural exchange, foreign language learning and the sharing of best practices in the field of eHL education. The development of unified eHL resources for skills and competences will provide an opportunity to promote consistency across EU Member States in the fields of medicine and allied health. The added operational value is reflected in the testing of results with new groups of learners and the transferability of iterative learning and teaching activities. Increased exposure in a multicultural context, gives more visibility at national and international level and contributes significantly to the empowerment of eHL European citizens.