Digital health literacy, also known as eHealth literacy, is an extension of both personal health literacy and digital literacy. For today’s patients, it could be a key factor in determining the efficacy of care. Both patients and professionals can both turn to remote patient monitoring (RPM) to practice digital literacy skills in a healthcare context – but how?

How RPM Helps with Improving Digital Health Literacy

What is Digital Health Literacy? What Does it Mean?

Digital health literacy refers to the ability to find, understand, and evaluate health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to address health needs.

Some examples of actions made possible through digital health literacy include:

  • Accessing telemedicine services
  • Successfully finding and evaluating health information online
  • Communicating with healthcare providers electronically

According to the Transactional Model of eHealth Literacy, there are four main components of digital health literacy:

  1. Functional. Patients with functional health literacy have sufficient basic reading and writing skills, allowing them to manage everyday health-related situations.
  2. Communicative. This refers to a patient’s ability to adapt and manage communication about their health in a digital space.
  3. Critical. This is the ability to evaluate the relevance, credibility, and risks of health information found online.
  4. Transactional or Translational. The highest cognitive level of literacy, where patients can apply the knowledge gained from online health resources to their real lives.

To increase digital health literacy, both patients and providers need to focus not only on finding information but also on how to use it effectively.

The Value of Digital Health Literacy

In a world with an increasing amount of online health information and telehealth services, digital health literacy skills are crucial. Modern patient populations can benefit immensely from being able to evaluate information, avoid misinformation, and leverage what they learn to access appropriate healthcare services.

Regardless of age or technological comfort, patients face a new reality: understanding how to engage with digital resources is becoming essential. In some cases, digital health literacy is required to communicate with providers, manage appointments, access health records, and support preventative treatment.

Research has shown that higher levels of digital health literacy can lead to greater self-efficacy among patients.

RPM and Digital Health Literacy: How Can it Help?

Digital health literacy is becoming a top concern for both patients and providers. So, how can remote patient monitoring help?

One of the best ways to foster digital health literacy is by developing resources and training that help patients learn how to find and use health information. Directly engaging patients in their care is also beneficial.

RPM addresses both of these needs. Launching an RPM program gives providers new ways to connect with patients while offering opportunities for patients to practice health literacy skills. Let’s take a closer look at how it works.

Engage Patients with Wearable Devices

Remote patient monitoring devices, like fitness trackers, pulse oximeters, and blood glucose monitors, allow healthcare professionals to track patient health data in real-time. They also push patients to learn how to use the devices and access the information they collect.

In most cases, RPM data is automatically sent to an RPM platform or software. Navigating these resources to view health information, communicate it to providers, and make adjustments based on the data helps patients practice digital literacy.

Moreover, studies have shown that using digital health technologies like wearable devices enhances the quality of care and increases patient satisfaction.

Increase the Frequency of Digital Communication

With access to remote patient monitoring software or a dedicated platform, patients have a simple way to communicate with providers.

Sending secure messages or emails encourages patients to become more familiar with digital communication and use it more regularly.

Since RPM involves data collection or self-reporting health symptoms, it naturally leads to more consistent electronic communication.

Choose CoachCare to Implement an RPM Program Successfully

As you work to improve digital health literacy among your patient population, don’t overlook the value RPM can bring to your practice.

Choose a reliable remote patient monitoring platform and device vendor like CoachCare to launch a program with the support and tools needed for success.

Digital health literacy is just the beginning of RPM’s many benefits. To learn more about how RPM can benefit your staff and patients, request a demo with CoachCare today.