Associations Between Work-Related Factors, Mental Well-Being, and Health Literacy Sensitivity: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Healthcare Personnel

Explore possible associations between healthcare personnel's work-related factors, mental well-being, and health literacy sensitivity. Few studies have investigated these factors. Thus, knowledge about their relationships may enhance healthcare personnel's ability to meet patients' health literacy needs, ultimately improving patient care. This cross-sectional survey included interdisciplinary healthcare personnel (N = 288, 75% female, mean age 44 (SD = 11.8)) working in direct patient care at a medium-sized general hospital in Norway. Participants were recruited from May to June 2022 and asked to answer questions regarding work-related factors, mental well-being, and how they follow up on patients' health literacy needs. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Greater health literacy sensitivity among healthcare personnel is associated with fewer work-related and mental well-being challenges. The work-related factors, teamwork (β = 0.138-0.236, p < 0.05 - p < 0.001) and staffing (β = 0.178, p < 0.01), as well as the mental well-being variables, work engagement (β = 0.179-0.288, p < 0.01 - < 0.001) and depression (β = 0.154, p < 0.05), show statistically significant associations with one or more of the nine health literacy domains. Work-related factors and mental well-being, particularly work engagement, are associated with healthcare personnel's health literacy sensitivity. Healthcare organizations should actively enhance healthcare personnel's health literacy resources while ensuring that their efforts to follow up on patients' health literacy needs do not adversely impact the healthcare personnel's work-related factors or mental well-being.