Perceived eHealth Literacy and Learning Experiences Among Japanese Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

This study aimed to describe undergraduate nursing students' perceived eHealth literacy and learning experiences of eHealth literacy in Japan and to clarify the relationship between these factors. We conducted a self-administered online questionnaire survey using a convenience sample of 353 Japanese undergraduate nursing students selected from three universities. Participants completed the eHealth Literacy Scale and questionnaires on learning experiences of eHealth literacy and some demographic factors. Participants had moderate perceived eHealth (mean [SD], 24.52 [5.20]). More than half the participants responded that they had no learning experiences of health or science literacy. We observed a positive correlation between the total mean eHealth literacy and learning experiences scores. Undergraduate nursing students in Japan had slightly lower perceived eHealth literacy than nursing students in other countries, hospital nurses, and even patients. Of the 353 participants in this study, 69.4% did not know "where to find helpful health resources on the Internet," 80.2% of those lacked the skills "to evaluate health resources," and 68.9% could not "differentiate the quality of health resources on the Internet"; few of the participants perceived themselves as having any experience in learning the six domains of eHealth literacy. Very few reported learning about health (43.3%) and scientific (21.8%) literacy. The low perceived eHealth literacy among participants might reflect lack of knowledge and confidence in eHealth literacy as well as their own low level of health-promoting behaviors; this might influence the quality of health education of clients and their families. Nursing educators should address the lack of eHealth literacy among undergraduate nursing students.