Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting Propensity Score using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
Published on: January 8, 2020
The impact of health literacy on shared decision making before elective surgery: a propensity matched case control
Gildasio S De Oliveira1,2,3, Martin Errea4, Jane Bialek5
1Department of Anethesiology, Alpert School Of Medicine, Brown University, 593 Eddy Street, Davol 129, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Gildasio-DeOliveira@lifespan.org.
Background:
Poor health literacy affects over 90 million Americans. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate a possible association between health literacy and decision conflict in surgical patients.
Methods:
Patients undergoing a diverse number of elective surgeries were enrolled in the study. Health literacy was measured using the Newest Vital Sign instrument and decision conflict using the low literacy version of the Decision Conflict Scale.
Results:
200 patients undergoing elective surgeries were included in the study. Patients who had greater health literacy scores had lower decision conflict scores, Spearman's rho = - 0.43, P < 0.001. Following propensity-score matching to account for potential covariates, the median (IQR) decision conflict score was 20 (0 to 40) for patients with poor health literacy compared to 0 (0 to 5) for patients with adequate literacy, P < 0.001.
Conclusions:
Poor health literacy is associated with greater decision conflict in patients undergoing elective surgical procedures. Strategies should be implemented to minimize decision conflict in poor health literacy patients undergoing elective surgical procedures.
Related Concept Videos
Health Literacy
Sign Test for Matched Pairs
To conduct the sign test, we first calculate the differences in...
Drug Control Governance: Regulatory Bodies and Their Impact
Decision Making
Automatic decision-making is fast, intuitive, and relies on gut feelings...
Impact of Groups on Groups
Decision Making: P-value Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can...

