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Patient literacy levels: a consideration when designing patient education programs
1Wayne State University in Detroit, USA.
Summary
Patient self-reported education level does not accurately reflect their reading ability. This highlights the need for healthcare providers to assess patient literacy when creating written health education materials.
Area of Science:
- Health Literacy
- Patient Education
- Nursing Research
Background:
- Effective patient education is crucial for post-operative self-care.
- Written discharge instructions are commonly used but may not be understood by all patients.
- Assessing patient understanding requires considering their actual literacy levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between patients' reported highest grade completed and their actual reading level.
- To examine the relationship between literacy and self-care knowledge post-education with written materials.
- To analyze the cultural sensitivity of patient education materials.
Main Methods:
- Correlational descriptive study design.
- Involved 26 hip or knee replacement surgery patients from an inner-city hospital.
- Assessed patients' self-reported education, actual reading level, and knowledge of self-care.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation (r = -.39, p < .05) was found between reported education and reading level.
- Patients' self-perceptions of educational attainment did not align with their reading proficiency.
- Implications for the effectiveness of written discharge instructions were identified.
Conclusions:
- Rehabilitation nurses must consider the discrepancy between patients' reported education and actual reading levels.
- Developing and assessing written patient education materials should prioritize appropriate reading levels.
- Ensuring materials are culturally sensitive enhances patient comprehension and self-care knowledge.