Professional health literacy of health professions in Austria - results of the HLS-PROF-AT study

Abstract Background Health professions play a crucial role in strengthening the health literacy (HL) of the population - provided that they themselves have the necessary professional HL. This encompasses competencies related to information and knowledge management, conveying information and knowledge, patient involvement and shared decision-making, and professional digital HL. In 2022 and 2023, data on professional HL were collected in Austria. Methods Nearly 4,400 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists, midwives, dieticians) were asked about their challenges across the four domains of professional HL. A score was calculated for each domain, with five additional subscores for the domain conveying information and knowledge. The relationship between socio-demographic, job-related and organisational characteristics and professional HL were investigated using T-tests, variance analyses and multivariate regression models. Results The greatest challenge for all healthcare professions is supporting patients in dealing with digital information, followed by conveying information and knowledge. Apart from pharmacists, the least difficulties were found in the domain patient involvement and shared decision-making. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that a high level of professional HL is associated with more favourable organisational conditions for HL-promoting patient communication and (very) good preparation in training for the tasks of professional HL. There is no systematic correlation between professional HL and years of professional experience. Conclusions Overall, healthcare professionals rated their professional HL positively. However, the results also highlight areas for improvement. Alongside promoting professional HL in the context of (further) training, it is important to enhance organisational framework conditions for promoting patients’ HL - ideally supported by initiatives to promote the organisational HL in healthcare organisations. Key messages • The greatest challenge for the health professions surveyed is to support patients in dealing with digital information and to convey information and knowledge to their patients. • Good preparation in training for the tasks of professional HL and favourable organisational conditions for HL-promoting patient communication are associated with a higher professional HL.