The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind Study

NCT07878403 — Not applicable, Not yet recruiting, 480 participants, Molde University College

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Improving Health Literacy-Sensitive Care and Health Professionals' Well-Being - A Multicenter Quasi-Experimental Controlled Study

Registry	NCT07878403
Status	Not yet recruiting
Phase	Not applicable
Study type	Interventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, health services research
Enrollment	480 (Estimated)
Sponsor	Molde University College (Other)
Conditions	Health Literacy, Occupational Health, Mental Health, Healthcare Professional
Interventions	The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind study (Behavioral)
Dates	start 2027-01-01 (estimated), primary completion 2028-10-15 (estimated), completion 2029-07-01 (estimated), first posted 2026-10-16, last updated 2026-10-16

-Summary

Health literacy is critical for patient safety, quality of care, and long-term health outcomes, yet health professionals often lack the support, time, and tools to deliver health literacy-sensitive care (health literacy sensitivity is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes health professionals require to effectively meet patients' health literacy needs). Building on a successful feasibility study showing that a targeted intervention can enhance health literacy sensitivity and teamwork without harming mental or occupational well-being. The Health Literacy for Healthier Minds study will build on these positive results and test a scalable, multi-component intervention in four Norwegian hospitals. The study aims to strengthen health professionals' health literacy sensitivity, safeguard their mental and occupational well-being, and explore patients' experiences with health literacy-sensitive care.

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+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
One medical ward in West Norway 1.0	Experimental	Behavioral: The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind study	The intervention ward will receive resources and routines for HL-sensitive care.
One medical ward in West Norway 1.1	No intervention		Controll post
One medical ward in East Norway 2.0	Experimental	Behavioral: The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind study	The intervention ward will receive resources and routines for HL-sensitive care.
One medical ward in East Norway 2.1	No intervention		Controll post

The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind study (Behavioral): The Health Literacy for Healthier Mind study will provide the intervention wards with routines and resources, including internal education, project and reflection groups, and a trained HL nurse. The HL nurse will be clinically present to support and guide colleagues in HL-sensitive care.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

Health literacy sensitivity [Measures at baseline, after six months and at the end of the intervention periode, 12 months.]: The knowledge, skills, and attitudes that healthcare personnel have to meet patients' and families' HL needs. We will use the Norwegian version of the validated tool, the Instrument of Health Literacy Competency (IOHLC), to measure the primary outcome. We will use all nine domains of the IOHLC.

Secondary outcomes

Work engagement [Baseline, 6-months after intervention start and at the end of the intervention periode, 12-months.]: Work engagement will be measured using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3).
Work environment [Baseline, 6-months after intervention start and at the end of the intervention periode, 12-months.]: Work environment will be measured using the Practice Environment Scale (PES-5),
Emotional exhaustion [Baseline, 6-months after intervention start and at the end of the intervention periode, 12-months.]: will be measured using the subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory; and symptoms of anxiety and depression will be measured using the Norwegian version Of Hopkins Symptom Checklist-5 (HSCL-5)

+Eligibility

Sex: All

Inclusion Criteria:

* Interdisciplinary healthcare personnel working in the intervention ward. treating patients with heart, lung, and geriatric conditions.

+Publications

Results publication: Stavdal MN, Larsen MH, Sjetne IS, Wahl AK, Gay CL, Kjetland MB, Lerdal A, Raheim Borge C. A health literacy intervention for registered nurses: Development and feasibility testing. Int J Nurs Stud Adv. 2026 Feb 5;10:100503. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnsa.2026.100503. eCollection 2026 Jun. PMID 41704896