The Effect of E-Health Literacy and Patient-Physician Relationship on Treatment Adherence

Objective: The Internet is actively used for gathering and learning health-related knowledge. The uncertainty surrounding the reliability of health information found online has heightened the importance of effective relationships between patients and physicians, as well as the value of a physician's guidance. This study focused on investigating the impact of individuals' e-health literacy level and their relationship with their physicians on their treatment adherence. In addition, the aim was to determine the mediatory role of patient-physician relationship in the effect of e-health literacy on treatment adherence. Materials and Methods: The study population included volunteering participants over the age of 18 living in the city of Istanbul. The study employed a survey method, gathering data from 425 participants between 15 April and 15 August 2023. Results: According to the results of the research, e-health literacy has an effect on patient-physician relationships, patient-physician relationship has an effect on treatment adherence, and e-health literacy has an effect on treatment adherence. It was found that patient-physician relationship played a mediatory role in the relationship between e-health literacy and treatment adherence. Conclusions: E-health literacy and patient-physician relationship were found to be factors affecting treatment adherence. Some suggestions were made within the framework of these results.