Digital Health Literacy in Adults With Heart Failure: Cross-Sectional Study

Digital technology is increasingly used in heart failure (HF) management. Deficiencies in digital health literacy (DHL) may hinder the delivery of digitally mediated nursing care. Investigating sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with DHL in middle-income countries could inform targeted interventions to reduce disparities in HF management.

To examine associations between DHL and sociodemographic and clinical factors in adults with HF.

Descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study. The sample consisted of adult outpatients with HF from a cardiology clinic in João Pessoa, Brazil. Individuals with a clinical diagnosis of HF confirmed in the medical record, regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction, aged ≥18 years, were included. We obtained sociodemographic and clinical data through self-report. We assessed DHL using the eHealth Literacy Scale. We examined associations between sociodemographic and clinical variables and the digital literacy score using the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman's correlation.

The study included 109 participants (mean age, 59.1 years; 60% female). DHL was predominantly low. Age, education, and number of comorbidities were significantly associated with DHL.

Age, education, and comorbidity burden may affect patients' ability to engage with digital technologies used in HF management in middle-income countries. Supporting patients' technological competencies may expand opportunities for digitally mediated caring relationships, enabling nurses to better understand and support individuals with HF in increasingly digital health care environments.