ArticlePLOS digital health2023
Digital literacy as a new determinant of health: A scoping review.
Article in PLOS digital health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 239 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
239 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Digital Health Technologies for Risk Factor Management and Secondary Prevention After Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Neurology. Clinical practice · 2026Pooled it
- Real-World Performance Measurement of Patient-Centered Clinical Decision Support Tools: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Pooled it
- Adoption of artificial intelligence in primary health care: systematic synthesis of stakeholder perspectives.BMC primary care · 2026Pooled it
- Telepsychology and digital mental health communication: an exploratory mixed-methods study of tikTok content.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Pooled it
- Behavioural and cognitive changes in young adults towards food and nutrition after exposure to digital food communication: a mixed-methods systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Digital Health Literacy in Forced Migrant Populations: Mixed Methods Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Equity implications of extended reality technologies for health and procedural anxiety: a systematic review and implementation-focused framework.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025Pooled it
- Factors Influencing eHealth Literacy Worldwide: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Delivery Model Matters for Digital Interventions in Pain Self-Management: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Comparing the Effectiveness of Digital and Conventional Rehabilitation Aftercare on Work Ability in Orthopedic Patients: A Longitudinal Study in Germany.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- The Remote Assessment of Physical Capacities of Patients with COPD, Feasibility and Learning Effect of the 5-Repetition Sit-to-Stand Test (5STS).International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Implementation Evaluation of a Parks- and Faith-Based Multilevel Intervention to Promote Physical Activity Among Latinos.Journal of physical activity & health · 2024Trial
- Get Health'e': A Pilot Test of a Digital Health Literacy Intervention for Young Adults.Health literacy research and practice · 2024Trial
- Digital Technologies for Community Consultation and Public Disclosure in Exception From Informed Consent Trials.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Digital Food and Nutrition Literacy Survey to Support Improvements in Diet Quality.Current developments in nutrition · 2026Article
- Knowledge of lactose intolerance in Italian adults: a cross‑sectional assessment.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Building health-literate artificial intelligence.Nature human behaviour · 2026Review
- Practical Digital Competence and Psychosocial Well-Being Among Adults with Severe Disabilities: Cross-Sectional Indirect Associations Through Perceived Self-Determination in Daily Life.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a rapid health literacy assessment tool for Chinese primary and secondary school students.Health promotion international · 2026Article
179 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionHarnessing new digital technologies can improve access to health care but can also widen the health divide for those with poor digital literacy. This scoping review aims to assess the current situation of low digital health literacy in terms of its definition, reach, impact on health and interventions for its mitigation.
methodsA comprehensive literature search strategy was composed by a qualified medical librarian. Literature databases [Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and Google Scholar] were queried using appropriate natural language and controlled vocabulary terms along with hand-searching and citation chaining. We focused on recent and highly cited references published in English. Reviews were excluded. This scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley.
resultsA total of 268 articles were identified (263 from the initial search and 5 more added from the references of the original papers), 53 of which were finally selected for full text analysis. Digital health literacy is the most frequently used descriptor to refer to the ability to find and use health information with the goal of addressing or solving a health problem using technology. The most utilized tool to assess digital health literacy is the eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS), a self-reported measurement tool that evaluates six core dimensions and is available in various languages. Individuals with higher digital health literacy scores have better self-management and participation in their own medical decisions, mental and psychological state and quality of life. Effective interventions addressing poor digital health literacy included education/training and social support.
conclusionsAlthough there is interest in the study and impact of poor digital health literacy, there is still a long way to go to improve measurement tools and find effective interventions to reduce the digital health divide.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.