[Professional health literacy. Professional and gender-specific aspects]

The importance of health professionals (HPs) in promoting health literacy (HL) is being increasingly emphasized. This article aims to analyze the professional HL of selected HPs, examine professional and gender-specific differences, and identify the challenges in promoting HL as well as its relationship to organizational and qualification-related conditions.

In May and June 2022, 624 nursing professionals and 297 physicians were surveyed online using a newly developed questionnaire, which measures professional health literacy through 34 items across four key domains (HLS-PROF‑Q). Participants were recruited via two online panels. Scores for professional health literacy (ranging from 0-100) and the perceived difficulties in managing tasks were examined. The analysis of perceived difficulties in promoting HL and associations with organizational and qualification-related conditions was conducted using descriptive and bivariate statistics.

Depending on the domain, HPs achieved an average of 54.0 to 73.8 out of 100 possible points. The tasks in the domains "professional digital HL" and "conveying information and knowledge" were considered the most challenging. Overall differences between the two HP groups were minimal, though some gender-specific differences were observed. Managing tasks involved in promoting HL was positively associated with the organizational and qualification-related conditions examined.

The results show that professional HL is moderate. However, they also highlight areas for improvement and provide insights into where professional HL can be strengthened as well as which adjustments to organizational and qualification-related conditions are needed.