Increase Digital Health Literacy: Knowledge Hub on Digital Medicine Launched

There is a plethora of information available online about digital health services and digital transformation in medicine – but how do you quickly find reliable and scientifically validated content? This is where the knowledge hub Medical Informatics Hub in Saxony (MiHUBx) comes in. Developed by scientist of TUD Dresden University of Technology, it targets both patients and the general public as well as healthcare professionals. It offers tailored information for all these target groups with the goal to increase their digital health literacy.

MiHUBx is currently the only platform in the German-speaking region that covers this range of topics tailored to different target groups. The knowledge hub was conceived, developed, and designed by Caroline Glathe and Sophia Grummt, who work at the Center for Medical Informatics (ZMI) on the Dresden University Medicine campus –funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). The platform is available to everyone free of charge.

“Our goal is to help patients navigate the digital health world – that is, to recognize reliable information, use digital services, and thereby actively manage their own health,” emphasizes Caroline Glathe. Sophia Grummt adds: “Digital health literacy is equally relevant for healthcare professionals. It allows them to use digital technologies safely, provide competent support to patients, and continue their education on the path to high-quality sustainable medical care.”

Accordingly, there are two separate sections for patients and healthcare professionals. The “Knowledge – Patients” section is designed to increase digital health literacy among the general population. It provides target group-specific information in an easy-to-understand format and is divided into the following categories:

• Basic knowledge: introduction to the digital transformation in healthcare through FAQs
• Digital (health) literacy: guidance on evaluating the quality of health information online, self-tests to assess your own digital skills, examples of initiatives to strengthen digital health literacy
• Health portals: links to trustworthy sources of information, including information portals and websites on the topic of health and digital transformation in healthcare, including data protection and security
• Further training: information on free training courses focusing on digital health, artificial intelligence, and data literacy
• Podcasts: podcast recommendations on current topics in medicine/digitalization

The MiHUBx knowledge hub also provides healthcare professionals with digitalization-specific content. The “Knowledge – Medical Professionals” section offers in-depth information on:

• Digitalization in healthcare: answers to questions about digitalization in healthcare
• Infopages for doctors and medical staff: links to specialist and information portals on topics such as telematics infrastructure, digital transformation in healthcare, data protection and security, and digital health applications
• Health research and research data: information on the use of health data in research, including guidelines, checklists, and advisory services
• Further education and training: opportunities to expand knowledge and gain professional qualifications in digitalization in medicine
• Podcasts: podcast recommendations on relevant medical and digital topics

In addition, there is a joint glossary for both target groups with technical terms from the fields of digital medicine, medical informatics, and digitalization.

Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, explains: "Digital health literacy is a basic prerequisite for future-oriented healthcare. The MiHUBx platform is a significant step toward transparent, evidence-based, and accessible medical knowledge. At the same time, it opens up new perspectives for teaching and research by providing practical educational opportunities and comprehensive resources on using research data."

Background

MiHUBx is one of six federally funded Digital Progress Hubs for Health in Germany. All hubs pursue the common goal of advancing the digital transformation in healthcare by providing data from various areas of medical care for research and practice. At the same time, each hub sets individual priorities based on regional conditions and specific health needs.

Further information can be found on the project's website: https://mihubx.de/

Contact:

Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry
Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
TUD Dresden University of Technology

Caroline Glathe
Email: 

Sophia Grummt
Email: