Digital Health Literacy and Health Technology Readiness Among People With Epilepsy or Multiple Sclerosis:...

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Health Informatics
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Digital health services (DHS) are integral to modern healthcare.
• Understanding user engagement with DHS is vital for effective health technology.
• Assessing digital health literacy (DHL) and technology readiness helps identify user needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess DHL and health technology readiness in individuals with epilepsy or multiple sclerosis (MS).
• To identify distinct user subgroups based on DHL and readiness.
• To compare DHS usage and readiness between users and non-users.

Main Methods:

• Electronic survey distributed to people with epilepsy or MS.
• Utilized the Finnish version of the Readiness and Enablement Index for Health Technology.
• K-means cluster analysis identified respondent subgroups; nonparametric tests compared readiness.

Main Results:

• Four distinct profiles emerged with varying DHL and readiness levels.
• Higher DHL profiles showed significantly greater DHS usage (76.5% and 74.7%).
• DHS users reported higher DHL, greater confidence in healthcare provider support, and better social support.

Conclusions:

• Identifying user subgroups is key for developing inclusive and responsive DHS.
• Lower DHL was associated with increased emotional distress and lower confidence in support.
• Further research is needed to understand differences in perceived support between DHS users and non-users.