Health literacy of future healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional study among health sciences students in Nepal
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
There is an assumption that health literacy is higher among health professionals, allowing them to improve the health literacy of their patients. This study explored health literacy profiles of health science students in Nepal, the future health professionals and educators of health literacy.
Methods
The multidimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire and demographic questions were administered online to medical and other health science students at the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
Results
More than half (55.8%) of the participants were male, 68.3% were ≤19 y of age, 62.2% had parents with a university degree, 73.5% were studying undergraduate courses and 61.6% were pursuing medicine. Students reported having moderate support and skills to manage their health. Health was regarded as important to them. They reported a moderate ability to engage with health professionals and the healthcare system. Medical students reported higher scores for all scales except social support for health, which was similar across the groups.
Conclusions
Universities should target interventions to improve students’ access to health information and to develop students’ ability to engage actively with healthcare providers. This will likely produce health professionals with improved health literacy levels who are sensitive to the health literacy needs of their patients from different population groups.
There is an assumption that health literacy is higher among health professionals, allowing them to improve the health literacy of their patients. This study explored health literacy profiles of health science students in Nepal, the future health professionals and educators of health literacy.
Methods
The multidimensional Health Literacy Questionnaire and demographic questions were administered online to medical and other health science students at the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
Results
More than half (55.8%) of the participants were male, 68.3% were ≤19 y of age, 62.2% had parents with a university degree, 73.5% were studying undergraduate courses and 61.6% were pursuing medicine. Students reported having moderate support and skills to manage their health. Health was regarded as important to them. They reported a moderate ability to engage with health professionals and the healthcare system. Medical students reported higher scores for all scales except social support for health, which was similar across the groups.
Conclusions
Universities should target interventions to improve students’ access to health information and to develop students’ ability to engage actively with healthcare providers. This will likely produce health professionals with improved health literacy levels who are sensitive to the health literacy needs of their patients from different population groups.
Date Issued
2019-01-01
Date Acceptance
2018-10-11
Citation
International Health, 2019, 11 (1), pp.15-23
ISSN
1876-3405
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
15
End Page
23
Journal / Book Title
International Health
Volume
11
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
License URL
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000461514900004&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
decision making in health
health literacy
health personnel
medical education
self-management
STRATEGIES
KNOWLEDGE
EDUCATION
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-11-09