Kurzfassung

Introduction: Since 2016, with the amendment of the Nursing Act, registered nurses in Austria are obliged to promote the health literacy of healthy and ill people seeking help. Due to a variety of circumstances in the primary and secondary sector, the promotion of health literacy is a challenge. Registered Nurses often have insufficient knowledge and skills to promote health literacy. Postgraduate programmes in public health on master level can address these deficits in order to provide evidence-based and -informed knowledge and skills. Research literature indicates how Health literacy can be taught in various postgraduate programmes. However, in this context, there are no indications which experiences students make during a postgraduate public health programme in order to act in a health literate way.

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the subjective experiences of registered nurses with regard to health literacy through postgraduate public health studies. In this context the experiences regarding knowledge and case comprehension in Ulrich Oevermann's (1996) understanding are of interest.

Methods: Within the framework of an interpretative paradigm, a qualitative longitudinal study is conducted using a reflexive grounded theory. Registered nurses attending a master's programme in public health are interviewed over the course of their studies at three points in time. The semi-structured interviews are transcribed verbatim and are coded as well as categorised in an open, axial and selective manner, taking into account the researching and writing activity as a reflexive Research subject, in order to develop a reflexive grounded theory.

Results: Preliminary results will be presented at the conference.

Discussion / Conclusion: Preliminary conclusions will be presented at the conference. Relevance for research and practice: Registered nurses need to be knowledgeable and skilled in order to strengthen health literacy. The results of this study make a contribution to orienting educational postgraduate programmes towards teaching “levels of knowledge” for health literate nursing care.