Three-factor structure of the eHealth Literacy Scale and its relationship with nurses' health-promoting behaviours and performance quality

Abstract

Aims: To examine the factorial validity of the eHealth Literacy Scale among hospital nurses and to investigate the associations of its components with health-promoting behaviours and nursing performance quality.

Design: This cross-sectional study used survey data of 484 Korean hospital nurses, which were collected between March-May 2016.

Methods: The three-factor structure was tested using confirmatory factor analyses. Multiple linear regression was conducted to test associations of the three components' scores with health-promoting behaviours and self-rated nursing performance quality.

Results: The eHealth Literacy Scale supported a three-factor structure: awareness of internet health resources (awareness), having skills needed to access resources (skills), and the ability to evaluate the quality of internet health resources (evaluation). All the three components were significantly associated with higher quality of nursing performance and better interpersonal relations. Stress management, spiritual growth, and health responsibility were linked with evaluation or skills but physical activity and nutrition were not.

Conclusion: Strategies to enhance eHealth literacy among nurses could improve nurses' health and further patient care. Training to build nurses' self-efficacy to evaluate internet health information could improve eHealth literacy and should be developed and examined.

Impact: To improve nurses' health and patient care, training programs to build nurses' self-efficacy to access and evaluate internet health information should be developed.

Keywords: eHealth Literacy; factor analysis; health‐promoting behaviours; nurse; nursing performance.