Health literacy education programmes developed for qualified health professionals: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES: Both literature and policy have identified the need for health literacy education for qualified health professionals. This study aimed to identify and map health literacy competencies and health literacy related communication skills educational interventions for qualified health professionals. The research questions included: Of the qualified health professional education interventions identified, which are focused on diabetes care? What health literacy competencies and health literacy related communication skills are integrated into each programme? What are the characteristics of each education programme? What were the barriers and facilitators to implementation? What methods are used to evaluate intervention effectiveness, if any? DESIGN: Scoping review, informed by the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. DATA SOURCES: The following databases: OVID; CINAHL; Cochrane; EMBASE; ERIC: PsycInfo; RIAN; Pro-Quest; UpToDate were searched. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Articles were included if the education programme focused on qualified health professionals, in all clinical settings, treating adult patient populations, of all study types. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts and full text articles that met the inclusion criteria. The third author mediated any discrepancies. The data were extracted and charted in table format. RESULTS: In total, 53 articles were identified. One article referred to diabetes care. Twenty-six addressed health literacy education, and 27 addressed health literacy related communication. Thirty-five reported using didactic and experiential methods. The majority of studies did not report barriers (N=45) or facilitators (N=52) to implementation of knowledge and skills into practice. Forty-nine studies evaluated the reported education programmes using outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: This review mapped existing education programmes regarding health literacy and health literacy related communication skills, where programme characteristics were identified to inform future intervention development. An evident gap was identified regarding qualified health professional education in health literacy, specifically in diabetes care.