Submit a Manuscript to the Journal
Health Literacy and Communication Open
For a Special Issue on
Digital Health Communication
Manuscript deadline
Special Issue Editor(s)
Associate Professor Annemiek Linn,
Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
[email protected]
Dr Nicola Diviani,
Person-Centered Healthcare and Health Communication, Swiss Paraplegic Research, Switzerland
[email protected]
Digital Health Communication
This Article Collection of Health Literacy and Communication Open focuses on Digital Health Communication, exploring how digital technologies influence communication processes, healthcare experiences, and relationships between patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and AI-driven systems. At a moment when these technologies are rapidly and profoundly reshaping how people seek, process, and act on health information, we welcome research examining both opportunities and challenges associated with digital communication in healthcare, with particular attention to lived experiences and the impact of technology on communication, decision-making, and wellbeing.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
• Artificial intelligence, generative AI, chatbots, and conversational agents in healthcare communication
• Social media, online communities, and digital information seeking in health contexts
• The impact of AI tools on patient-provider communication, trust, shared decision-making, and healthcare relationships
• Digital and AI health literacy
• Misinformation, trust, uncertainty, and emotional responses to digital health information
• Digital decision support tools and patient empowerment
• Ethical implications of AI-mediated communication, personalization, and privacy
• Digital communication among vulnerable or underserved populations
• Co-design, citizen science, and participatory approaches in digital health communication research
• Communication in digital healthcare environments and hybrid care models
• Measurement and evaluation of digital communication processes and outcomes
We encourage a broad range of methodological approaches, including qualitative, quantitative, experimental, and mixed-methods studies, as well as reviews, implementation science, participatory research, and theoretical perspectives. We particularly welcome qualitative and participatory, and co-design approaches.
This collection aims to advance understanding of how digital technologies are transforming health communication and how these developments can be steered toward more equitable, trustworthy, and person-centred care rather than amplifying existing inequities and communicative harms.