https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8417-0098
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Abstract
Effective use of electronic health tools requires a specific set of skills. These skills can be assessed using valid eHealth literacy measurement tools. This study aimed to validate the widely used eHEALS scale among Health Education Nursing officers (HENOs) working in government hospitals in Sri Lanka. We sent eHEALS questionnaires to all hospitals in the country where HENOs were present. The sample size used in the validation study was 80. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and reliability analyses were performed. The results of the EFA fit into a unidimensional model (60.97% of the variance explained). The Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was 0.90. Our study found that the original version of the eHEALS was unidimensional, as reported by the original authors. It is sufficiently valid and reliable for health education nursing officers in Sri Lanka.
SUMMARY
eHealth literacy refers to how well people seek, find, understand, and use the Internet, websites, and social media to address their health problems. eHEALS is an eHealth literacy measurement questionnaire used in many countries to gauge how well-informed different groups are about electronic health information. In Sri Lanka, health education nurses are responsible for helping patients and staff understand health information. However, their health information literacy has not yet been assessed. This study validated the widely used eHEALS questionnaire and found it to be suitable for measuring eHealth literacy among health education nurses in Sri Lanka, who work in government hospitals.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the translators and the staff at the Health Promotion Bureau, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Author contribution
Study conception and design SJB, MSDW, RB, PK: Data collection, Data analysis and interpretation: BMIR, WMPCW, RMNUR, PSN, DKI, EJ Drafting of the article, Critical revision of the article: MSDW, SJB, RB, PK.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, BMIG, upon reasonable request.