Consideration of health literacy in patient information: a mixed-methods study of COVID-19 crisis communication in Dutch rheumatology.

Background: The rapid spread of COVID-19 required swift action to provide people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) with reliable information. People with limited health literacy constitute a vulnerable group that might have difficulty accessing, understanding and applying health information, particularly in times of crisis.

Objectives: This study explored (a) key aspects of crisis communication and (b) explicit consideration of people's health literacy needs in communication to people with RMDs during the first wave of COVID-19 in the Netherlands.