Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire among nurses in Norwegian hospitals: a validation study

Background The use of eHealth resources is rapidly expanding within the healthcare services, representing a significant digital transformation. The success of this transformation depends on healthcare providers’ motivation and eHealth literacy capacity. The eHealth Literacy Questionnaire has been modified to assess healthcare providers’ own perception of eHealth literacy in their interactions with patients (Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire). This study aimed to investigate the reliability (internal consistency), discriminant validity, and construct validity (structural validity) of the Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire in a self-report format administered to nurses employed in Norwegian hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered to 260 hospital-based registered nurses educated at the baccalaureate level or higher across various hospitals, university colleges, and universities in Norway. Discriminant validity was investigated by assessing the inter-domain correlation (Pearson r) between the seven Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire domains. The structural validity of the predefined seven dimensions of the Norwegian Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire was examined using confirmatory factor analysis, and the internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Results Participants had a mean age of 36 years (range 22–65 years), with the majority being female. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that seven one-factor models were acceptable after one to two model adjustments, demonstrating an acceptable structural validity. The discriminant validity between the seven dimensions in the Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire was acceptable. Cronbach’s alpha for the 7 domains ranged from 0.71 to 0.85, indicating good internal consistency. Conclusions The Norwegian version of the Staff eHealth Literacy Questionnaire demonstrates acceptable structural validity, discriminant validity, and internal consistency. The modified version of the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire has the potential to be a useful measurement for various purposes.