Introduction/background/problem

Health literacy plays an important role in public health promotion and overcoming multiple health challenges such as non-communicable diseases, COVID19, and mental health. However, much more needs to be known about health literacy, and how to develop and implement effective interventions. The aim of this study was to develop a framework that shows how CoPs can advance health literacy knowledge and contribute to accelerating action.

Description of objectives/methods/intervention

We have undertaken a realist review of available documentation to uncover what contexts of CoPs trigger (or do not trigger) certain mechanisms that lead to particular health literacy outcomes. Our realist review commenced with a broad scoping review of CoPs in health settings. We then narrowed our focus to CoPs that led to (implicitly) advancing the knowledge or action of at least one health literacy element: access, understand, appraise, remember, or apply health information. We involved stakeholders from multiple levels in our process to increase practical relevance and uptake of the findings.

Results/effects/impact/changes

Research about CoPs that explicitly focused on health literacy was scarce, however we found several indications about CoPs implicitly contributing to one or more elements of health literacy. We found that structure, activities and facilitation trigger participation, trust, and collaboration, leading to increased knowledge about elements of health literacy. The type of members and structure can trigger empowerment, confidence, and collaboration, leading to changes in the daily health literacy practices of professionals. We also found some indications of CoP-members who distributed their new knowledge outside the CoP into their organisation or community.

Discussion/conclusion/lessons learned

Our review clearly indicates that CoPs can support increases in health literacy knowledge, as well as accelerating action to change practice. We created insights about what contexts trigger mechanisms that can contribute to these outcomes. However, the number of CoPs who explicitly focused on health literacy was low and future research should focus on CoPs who explicitly and purposefully focus on advancing health literacy.