Digital and artificial intelligence literacy in inflammatory rheumatic and degenerative joint diseases

The development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has highlighted the need for patients to improve digital competencies such as e-Health literacy (eHL) and AI literacy (AIL). However, these skills remain largely unexamined in populations with chronic rheumatic and degenerative joint diseases. In particular, comparative data examining both eHL and AIL across different rheumatic disease groups remain limited. This interdisciplinary study aimed to jointly assess eHL and AIL in individuals with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) and knee osteoarthritis (OA) compared with healthy controls, and to examine sociodemographic and psychological correlates of eHL.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 201 participants divided equally into three groups: patients with IRD (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis), patients with knee OA, and healthy individuals. Standardized clinical, psychological, and digital literacy assessments including eHL Scale and AIL Scale were administered through structured face-to-face interviews. Trial registration is available at ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT07054749, registration date: December 25, 2024.

Patients with IRD demonstrated significantly higher eHL and AIL levels than knee OA and healthy groups. Higher literacy was associated with better healthcare engagement and inversely related to anxiety and functional disability. Digital competency was associated with education level and patterns of healthcare engagement across disease groups.

These findings suggest potential relevance of integrating eHL and AIL considerations into clinical practice. Strengthening eHL and AIL competencies may be associated with greater patient autonomy and may support adaptation to AI-supported healthcare delivery.