Faculty Presentations Faculty Presentations: Gulcan Bagcivan

Determining the Level of Digital Health Literacy and Cyberchondria in Individuals Diagnosed with Cancer

Full list of poster authors

• Ayşenur Çetin Üçeriz,
• Melek Odabaş,
• İbrahim Çiftçioğlu,
• Tuğçe Ayaz,
• Gülcan Bağçivan, PhD, RN

Conference where poster was previously displayed

EONS 18 in ESMO 2025/Germany 17-21 October 2025 (European Oncology Nursing Society International Conference at European Medical Oncology 2025 conference 2025)

Poster abstract

Background

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death globally. The growing use of digital technologies has reshaped how patients access, interpret, and apply health information. While digital health literacy (DHL) enables individuals to effectively navigate and utilize online health resources, excessive and anxiety-driven online searching—known as cyberchondria—may heighten distress and uncertainty. This study aimed to determine the levels of digital health literacy and cyberchondria among individuals diagnosed with cancer and to identify factors associated with both constructs.

Methods

A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was conducted between November 2024 and June 2025 in the inpatient and outpatient oncology units of a university hospital. A total of 231 participants meeting eligibility criteria were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected via a personal information form, the Digital Health Literacy Scale (DHLS), and the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) through face-to-face interviews averaging 25 minutes. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to explore relationships between key variables.

Results

Participants exhibited moderate levels of both digital health literacy (median = 53.0) and cyberchondria (median = 85.0). The highest DHLS subscale was privacy protection (median = 11.0), while the lowest was evaluating reliability (median = 7.0). Age, employment status, and daily internet use were significant predictors of DHL (p < 0.01). Longer daily internet use was associated with greater literacy but also with higher “excessiveness” scores in cyberchondria. DHL showed significant negative correlations with cyberchondria (r ≈ –0.21 to –0.22, p ≤ 0.01), indicating that higher literacy reduced anxiety-driven online health searches.

Conclusion

Digital health literacy and cyberchondria among cancer patients were moderate and interrelated. Enhancing digital health literacy may protect patients from excessive and anxiety-inducing online health information searches. Educational interventions—particularly those tailored to age, employment status, and internet-use patterns—could foster healthier digital engagement and support informed, confident self-management in oncology care.