Determinants of digital health literacy of healthcare professionals: A systematic review

Abstract

Background

Digital health literacy (DHL) is essential for ensuring effective, safe, and equitable healthcare delivery. Understanding the DHL levels of healthcare professionals and the factors shaping them is critical for guiding workforce development and managing digital transformation processes. This study aimed to identify determinants of DHL among healthcare professionals and examine their implications from a managerial perspective.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines on August 13 to 14, 2024. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were searched without time restrictions using terms such as “digital health literacy,” “e-health literacy,” and terms related to healthcare professions, yielding 2702 records. Peer-reviewed full-text studies in English involving healthcare professionals were included, while non-research articles and studies on non-healthcare populations were excluded. Screening and selection were performed independently by two reviewers.

Results

Eleven studies published between 2022 and 2024 were included. Content analysis identified several determinants of DHL, including education level, professional experience, access to digital infrastructure, and technological competence. Younger professionals tended to report higher DHL, while more experienced staff demonstrated strong adaptability when required by evolving clinical processes. Some studies noted that digital health tools could create time pressures and affect communication with patients, potentially hindering effective DHL use.

Conclusions

Strengthening DHL among healthcare professionals is essential for optimising healthcare quality, safety, and operational efficiency. Integrating digital health competencies in undergraduate curricula, providing role-specific training, and implementing organisational strategies that support digital adoption are key priorities. Although this review is based on a limited number of heterogeneous studies, it provides important insights and highlights the need for more robust and standardised research on DHL in healthcare settings.