eHealth literacy and the use of NHS111 online. What does it mean for accessing and using urgent care?

Abstract

Many health care systems, including the NHS, use online services to support the delivery of care, a trend which was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients are increasingly encouraged to access and use online health services such as the NHS 111 online urgent care service, which assesses, triages and signposts users to other health services where necessary. Services like NHS 111 online require people to have sufficient motivation, knowledge of health and of services, and to be able to use digital technologies (‘eHealth literacy’). Whilst digital technologies may seem almost ubiquitous in many aspects of daily life, it is estimated that many millions in the UK do not go online or lack the skills to use the Internet effectively.
The push towards accessing care online may exacerbate health inequalities due to variations in peoples’ level of eHealth literacy. However, the relationship between eHealth literacy and the use of urgent online services such as NHS 111 online is not clear. This Evidence Brief describes the findings of a two-year study undertaken by the University of Oxford and the University of Southampton. It summarises the findings of a survey that measured eHealth literacy and preferences of users and non-users of NHS 111 online.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Joanne Turnbull: orcid.org/0000-0002-5006-4438

ORCID for Hannah Barker: orcid.org/0000-0003-2639-3503

ORCID for Carole Fogg: orcid.org/0000-0002-3000-6185

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