Study of constructing indicators of physician's professional competence on health literacy by Delphi method

Objectives: This study aims to construct indicators of physicians' professional competence on health literacy in order to motivate healthcare providers to pay attention to master, and respond to patients' health literacy; conduct good doctor-patient communication; and assist patients in effectively using medical resources. Methods: The Delphi method was applied, and three rounds of investigation were conducted to gather the consensus of 13 experts. According to the literature and results of focus group interviews, the connotations and dimensions of physicians' professional competence on health literacy were defined, and the first draft of indicators was drawn up. In the course of each round of investigation, the suitability and consistency of various indicators were analyzed, and indicators were revised, added, or deleted according to the experts' opinions. Results: Four dimensions, namely "concept and evaluation", "acceptance and respect", "communication and interaction", and "medical information and decision-making"; and 13 sub-dimensions and 44 indicators were constructed to help physicians play the roles of health literacy evaluators, receivers, planners, and guides. Conclusions: The indicators of physicians' professional competence on health literacy constructed in this study can be used as a reference for future planning of pre-service and on-the-job education courses related to physicians' professional competence on health literacy, as well as development of related measurement tools.