Digital health literacy (DHL) is essential for ensuring individuals and communities can navigate an increasingly digital healthcare landscape. Librarians, Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES), and other public health professionals play a crucial role in bridging the digital divide, ensuring equitable access to digital health tools, and empowering individuals to make informed health decisions.
This session will explore strategies for supporting diverse populations in using telehealth, patient portals, and reliable online health resources. Participants will learn how to address common barriers—including low literacy, limited technology access, and privacy concerns—while also developing effective programming tailored to their community’s unique needs. Real-world case studies will highlight successful digital health literacy programs, such as one-on-one navigator sessions, group workshops, and collaborative initiatives with healthcare providers.
Attendees will leave with practical tools and implementation strategies that can be adapted for libraries, healthcare education programs, and community-based public health initiatives. The session will also emphasize the importance of cross-sector collaboration in advancing digital health literacy and health equity.
Speaker Bio: Stan Hudson is director of professional development and training for the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). He is a health literacy expert with 30 years of experience in health services research and more than 15 years in health literacy with a focus on health equity. For the past 5 years, he has been working on addressing digital health literacy needs, including organizational assessment and teaching professionals how to help people find reliable health information online, use telehealth, and access their patient portals to connect to providers and health information.
1. Identify ways librarians, educators, and public health professionals can bridge the digital divide by promoting digital health literacy in their communities.
2. Design tailored digital health literacy programs that address specific community needs and challenges.
3. Analyze common barriers to digital health literacy, such as limited technology access and digital skills gaps, and propose practical solutions.
4. Discuss strategies for building partnerships with healthcare providers, community organizations, and educators to enhance digital health literacy initiatives.