Assessing Health Literacy Among Hospitalized Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Silesia, Poland

Background: Health literacy includes the basic competencies needed to improve the quality of communication with medical personnel. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the level of health literacy of hospitalized patients and to assess the impact of factors such as age, gender, education, place of residence, the ability to question the doctor about the information provided, and the evaluation of communication with medical personnel on their health literacy. Material and methods: The study was cross-sectional, and a specially designed questionnaire was used to collect data. Patients' level of health literacy was assessed using the functional, communicative, and critical health literacy (FCCHL) scale. The study included 203 independent adult patients. Results: Higher levels of health literacy were observed more often in younger age groups, among women, people with higher education, and residents of large cities. Patients with a higher level of health literacy rated their communication with medical personnel higher, were more active in communicating with doctors, and asked questions more often, indicating that they were more involved in the medical decision-making process. A larger percentage of these patients believed that their consent to medical services was informed compared to patients with lower health literacy. In addition, patients with higher health literacy were more likely to express the belief that the medical staff spent enough time with them during their visit. Conclusions: The study's findings underscore the importance of strengthening health education, which can help reduce health literacy disparities and improve health care quality.