eHealth Literacy and the Use of NHS 111 Online Urgent Care Service in England: Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Many health care systems have used digital technologies to support care delivery, a trend amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Digital first” may exacerbate health inequalities due to variations in eHealth literacy. The relationship between eHealth literacy and web-based urgent care service use is unknown. Objective: This study aims to measure the association between eHealth literacy and the use of NHS (National Health Service) 111 online urgent care service. Methods: A cross-sectional sequential convenience sample survey was conducted with 2754 adults (October 2020-July 2021) from primary, urgent, or emergency care; third sector organizations; and the NHS 111 online website. The survey included the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ), questions about use, preferences for using NHS 111 online, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Across almost all dimensions of the eHLQ, NHS 111 online users had higher mean digital literacy scores than nonusers (P