EHealth Literacy in Patients with Urological Cancer: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Urological cancer patients are less likely to utilise psycho-oncological support services, possibly due to an inadequate provision of tailored support services. Digital media offer an alternative means of accessing medical information and services, highlighting the relevance of eHealth literacy. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify predictors of higher eHealth literacy in patients with urogenital cancer. METHODS In this cross-sectional study 126 inpatients with urogenital cancer treated at the University Hospital of Düsseldorf were recruited. EHealth literacy was assessed using the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). In addition, psychosocial distress (Distress Thermometer), anxiety (GAD-2), depression (PHQ-2) and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors were obtained. For statistical analysis Man-Whitney U tests, chi-square tests and hierarchical linear regression models were calculated. RESULTS The final regression model, including the dependent variables age, depression, gender and education, showed that patients with high eHealth literacy were significantly younger (p = .001), male (p = .008), more educated (p = .01) and less depressed (p = .02). Univariate analyses revealed significantly lower eHealth literacy among patients with psychosocial distress (p = .03), with no difference observed in terms of anxiety or smoking status. CONCLUSIONS The results show that younger people and men in particular are associated with better eHealth literacy. Accordingly, older people as well as more psychosocially stressed and depressed patients need more support in using digital health services. Specific training measures and an intuitive, user-friendly digital design could narrow this gap in care.