Evidence Based practice

Relationship of Functional Health Literacy to Patients

Knowledge of Their Chronic Disease

Pu r p o s e : To l o o k a t t h e re l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n f u n c t i o n a l h e a l t h l i t e r a c y a n d t h e
p a t i e n t s k n o w l e d g e o f t h e i r c h ro n i c d i s e a s e a n d t re a t m e n t
M e t h o d : A c ro s s - s e c t i o n a l s u r v e y o f 4 0 2 p a t i e n t s w i t h H T N a n d 1 1 4 p a t i e n t s w i t h
d i a b e t e s w a s c o n d u c t e d a t t w o u r b a n p u b l i c h o s p i t a l s i n C a l i f o rn i a .
Re s u l t s : 9 2 % o f p a t i e n t s w i t h H T N a n d a d e q u a t e l i t e r a c y l e v e l s k n e w t h a t a B P o f
1 6 0 / 1 0 0 m m H g w a s h i g h c o m p a re d w i t h 5 5 % o f t h o s e i n t h e l o w e s t re a d i n g l e v e l .
94% of patients with diabetes and adequate functional health literacy knew the
s y m p t o m s o f h y p o g l y c e m i a c o m p a re d w i t h 5 0 % o f t h o s e w i t h i n a d e q u a t e l i t e r a c y.
C o n c l u s i o n : I n a d e q u a t e f u n c t i o n a l h e a l t h l i t e r a c y p o s e s a m a j o r b a rr i e r t o
e d u c a t i n g p a t i e n t s w i t h c h ro n i c d i s e a s e s .