Health Literacy Instruments for Computer-Based Applications: A Review Article

Health literacy has been defined as the cognitive and social skills which determine the individual's motivation and ability to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways which promote and maintain good health. To address health literacy in today’s technology-rich health care environments, there is a strong need for validated computer-based tools to assess health literacy. Therefore, this study aimed to present an overview of specifications of current health literacy screening instruments to adapt for computer-based usages. In this narrative review study, relevant English publications were examined. The selected resources resultedfrom Boolean search in the related databases using key words concerning the Health Literacy Instruments. The results of the overview of the health literacy measurement tools showed that these instruments include the two gold standards TOFHLA (pilot testing of a computer-based version) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) as well as, Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). Additionally, the tool for Health Literacy Screening Question Methodologies (HLSQM) was applied to measure the health literacy. Current health literacy screening tools demonstrate different beneficial properties depending on the context of use. Therefore, it's recommended that a health literacy instrument be developedfrom the combination of validated and reliable HLSQM and eHEALS questions for the purpose of developing a computer-based instrument to screen individuals accessing eHealth applications.