AB061. Health literacy profile of current and future healthcare professionals: Bruneian context
Abstract

AB061. Health literacy profile of current and future healthcare professionals: Bruneian context

Norhanani Nadzirah Haji Md Taib1, Ahmad Shamil Haji Mohd Adnan1, Norhayati Kassim1, Ernina Nisdzarinah Haji Abdul Rani1, Sharimawati Sharbini2

1Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health, Brunei-Muara, Brunei Darussalam; 2PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam

Background: To deliver holistic, patient-centered care, healthcare professionals (HCPs) must understand and address the diverse health literacy (HL) needs of their patients. This requires HCPs to have a strong foundation in HL themselves. The objective of this study is to determine and compare the HL profile of current and future HCPs in Brunei Darussalam.

Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed HL levels using the 9-domain Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) with ad-hoc demographic questions. Future HCPs were students enrolled in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and midwifery undergraduate programs at the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSBIHS), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). Current HCPs included practicing doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, and midwives in hospitals and community-based clinics in government setting. Mean HL scores were compared across groups, including those with and without formal HL training. Statistical analyses, including Kruskal-Wallis and independent t-tests, were performed using R Version 4.1.1 and RStudio Version 1.4.1717 for macOS. Ethical approval was obtained from the Medical and Health Research and Ethics Committee (MHREC), Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam.

Results: Both current and future HCPs generally agreed with statements related to HL, with current HCPs showing slightly higher overall scores. This may reflect their practical experience, continuing education, and established professional networks. Future HCPs showed strengths in finding and understanding health information, likely due to academic training. No statistically significant differences were observed across professional roles or courses, suggesting consistent HL education. Formal training significantly improved scores among current HCPs but was less impactful among future HCPs, highlighting a need for better integration of HL education in undergraduate programs.

Conclusions: Formal HL training enhances current HCPs’ HL, but greater emphasis is needed in undergraduate curricula. Equipping HCPs with HL skills is key to improving patient communication and outcomes. Tailored training should be part of continuous professional development. Enhancing HL among HCPs globally is essential for reducing health disparities and strengthening health systems worldwide.

Keywords: Brunei Darussalam; health literacy (HL); healthcare; healthcare professional (HCP); healthcare student

Footnote

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/jphe-26-ab061
Cite this abstract as: Taib NNHM, Mohd Adnan ASH, Kassim N, Abdul Rani ENH, Sharbini S. AB061. Health literacy profile of current and future healthcare professionals: Bruneian context. J Public Health Emerg 2026;10:AB061.

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