Assessment of health literacy in healthcare workers: a multicentric cross-sectional study

Health literacy (HL) includes the cognitive and social skills that determine the motivation and ability of individuals to access, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintain good health. All healthcare workers (HCW) need to be involved in this process, and to be able to take part in it effectively, they have to possess solid skills. The aim of this study is to evaluate the knowledge concerning HCW employed in some teaching hospitals in Rome.

HCW were invited to voluntarily answer the questions, delivered by the researcher or administered through a Google form, of the HLS-EU Q16 questionnaire, validated and translated into Italian: the first part collected demographic information and the second part related to the state of knowledge about HL.

All professional categories considered show HL defined as “problematic.” In addition, paradoxically, the level of HL increases with increasing age (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03–1.18) but decreases with increasing seniority (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84–0.95).

There is a need to improve the knowledge of health professionals with regard to health literacy through training activities and educational initiatives: this will make it possible not only to guide patients more effectively in health pathways but also to make them more autonomous in their choices.