Mapping Disaster Health Literacy for Chronic Patients: A Scoping Scientometric Analysis

Background: Natural hazards pose threats and opportunities for enhancing health literacy among chronic patients. This study aimed to investigate temporal distribution patterns of health literacy literature in disasters, depict collaborations among researchers and leading countries, and provide insights for future research directions in this domain. Materials and Methods: Mapping studies using bibliographic tools and an oriented scoping review were conducted. A search strategy utilizing synonymous terms for “disaster literacy and chronic diseases” was implemented on Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and PubMed from inception to ۲۰۲۴, resulting in the retrieval of ۱,۸۸۵ articles. VOSviewer, UCINET, and NetDraw software performed analyses. Results: The concept of disaster health literacy (DHL) has grown since ۲۰۱۹. Patients with diabetes, hypertension, respiratory diseases, asthma, cancer, those on dialysis, and stroke survivors faced the most challenges during disasters. Seven thematic clusters of studies were identified, encompassing research methods, types of literacy, vulnerable groups, chronic patients, study locations, disease management, and comorbidity types.  Conclusion: Improving DHL plays a pivotal role in empowering individuals with chronic conditions to navigate crises with greater resilience and informed decision-making. To mitigate adverse outcomes, it is essential that national emergency frameworks integrate targeted health literacy interventions tailored to the needs of vulnerable populations.

Keywords:

Health literacy , Risk management , Chronic patients , Disaster planning , Bibliometric analysis , Natural hazards