Organisational health literacy in healthcare in Europe: a content analysis to explore stakeholders perspectives for supporting the adoption of effective strategies and interventions

Abstract
Background Organisational Health Literacy (OHL) refers to the capacity of healthcare organisations to enable people
to find, understand, appraise, and use health information and services equitably. Although interest in OHL has grown
across Europe, the degree to which healthcare organisations adopt and assess OHL remains uneven.

Objective
This study explored stakeholders’ perspectives on factors that facilitate or hinder the uptake of OHL
strategies and assessments within healthcare organisations in Europe.

Method
Semi‑structured interviews and surveys were conducted with stakeholders from six European countries
within the JA PreventNCD initiative. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis to identify macro‑ and
micro‑themes related to OHL adoption and assessment. A SWOT analysis was conducted to provide a framework for
discussing the factors that facilitate and hinder the adoption of OHL in healthcare organisations.

Results
Across countries, stakeholders highlighted several overarching themes: the importance of leadership
commitment, staff training, and integrating OHL into organisational processes; the need to involve patients and
communities; and key strategies to support OHL assessments—communicating their added value, securing
managerial or authority‑level incentives, and using practical tools. A lack of awareness of OHL, scarce resources and management support, and overly complex tools, actors and steps to secure commitment were also identified as issues to address.