Individual Abstract within a Delegate Designed Symposium Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2022

Health literacy, digital health literacy, and digital inclusion: can digital implementation of PROs reach far enough, and in the right direction? (#152)

Emma B Kemp 1
  1. College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Implementation of PROs in cancer care increasingly is being achieved by means of digital platforms, with encouraging results for feasibility of implementation and efficacy in improving outcomes for consumers. However, consumers with lower levels of health literacy or digital health literacy may face additional challenges when required to complete PROs via digital means, compared with other consumers. As groups with lower levels of health/digital health literacy overlap with populations experiencing poorer cancer outcomes, digital implementation of PROs may therefore miss those most in need of improved care, and may widen disparities in outcomes between these groups and those with higher levels of health/digital health literacy. This presentation will outline (a) components of health literacy and digital health literacy, and the relationship of these constructs to digital inclusion, (b) population groups who are more likely to experience challenges with health literacy, digital health literacy, and digital inclusion, and how these overlap with those experiencing poorer access to care and poorer outcomes, (c) current research on digital health literacy in people with cancer, and (d) potential solutions to overcome some of these challenges in relation to digital implementation of PROs in cancer care.