eHealth literacy of patients attending a primary care clinic in Malaysia and its associated factors: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundPeople are overloaded with online health information (OHI) of variable quality. eHealth literacy is important for people to acquire and appraise reliable information to make health-related decisions. While eHealth literacy is widely studied in developed countries, few studies have been conducted among patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the level of eHealth literacy in patients attending a primary care clinic in Malaysia and its associated factors. MethodsA cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted in an urban primary care clinic. We used a systematic random sampling method to select patients aged 18 years and above who attended the clinic. The eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) was used to measure eHealth literacy. ResultsA total of 381 participants were included. The mean eHEALS was 24.4 +/- 7.6. The eHEALS statements related to skills in appraising OHI were scored lower than statements related to looking for online resources. Higher education level of attending upper secondary school (AOR 2.53, 95% CI 1.05-6.11), tertiary education (AOR 4.05, 95% CI 1.60-10.25), higher monthly household income of >US$470 (AOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.07-3.56), and those who had sought OHI in the past month (AOR 1.95, 95% CI 1.13-3.36) were associated with a higher eHealth literacy level. ConclusionsThis study found a low eHealth literacy level among primary care patients in Malaysia. While the patients were confident in searching for OHI, they lacked skills in appraising them. Our findings inform the interventions for improving eHealth literacy in LMICs, especially educating the public about OHI appraisal.

Automated summary

This study found a low level of eHealth literacy among primary care patients in Malaysia. While they were confident in searching for online health information, they lacked skills in appraising them. Higher education, income, and recent experience of seeking online health information were associated with higher eHealth literacy levels.