Lower health literacy results in poorer surgical recovery outcomes
For outpatient surgery, those with lower health literacy experienced poorer recovery and decreased quality of life, according to an April 25 study published in JAMA Surgery.
Patients who are discharged the same day as their surgery assume much of the responsibility for their own care, but patients with lower health literacy could have trouble understanding medical directions. In this study, researchers evaluated the correlation between health literacy and postoperative recovery.
“Patients in today’s healthcare system are expected to take part and to be engaged in their own care,” wrote first author Maria Nyman, PhD, from the School of Heath Sciences at Orebro University in Sweden, and colleagues. “Patients are spending less time in the hospital, and this places greater demands on the patients and their relatives. Most of the recovery process after surgery occurs at home without direct supervision from health care professionals. Consequently, they have to be able to read and understand health instructions on how to manage their own recovery at home.”
The study included 704 patients, who underwent day surgery between October 2015 and July 2016 in Sweden. Of these patients, 427 were classified as having “sufficient” health literacy, 223 had “problematic” health literacy and 54 had “inadequate” health literacy. Results showed both the inadequate and problematic groups experienced poorer recovery and lower quality of life than patients in the sufficient group.
“Inadequate functional health literacy in patients undergoing day surgery was associated with poorer postoperative recovery and a lower health-related quality of life,” concluded Nyman and colleagues. “Our results suggest that functional health literacy can now also be included as an influencing factor for the quality of postoperative recovery. Low health literacy levels have, among other factors, been shown to be associated with poorer health-related knowledge and comprehension, including the ability to read and understand perioperative instructions, medication labels and health messages—skills that are also necessary for patients undergoing day surgery.
“We agree that surgical patients with low health literacy levels need extra time and resources before discharge for information and instruction regarding wound care and dietary changes, arranging home care needs and managing anxiety regarding self-care.”
Cara joined TriMed Media in 2016 and is currently a Senior Writer for Clinical Innovation & Technology. Originating from Detroit, Michigan, she holds a Bachelors in Health Communications from Grand Valley State University.