Assessing Health Literacy in Urban Patients With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators and Pacemakers.

Assessing Health Literacy in Urban Patients With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators and Pacemakers. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2014 Aug 2; Authors: Hickey KT, Sciacca RR, Gonzalez P, Castillo C, Frulla A Abstract Functional health literacy (FHL) has become an increasingly prevalent topic of discussion in patient health and well-being. Although FHL has been studied in a variety of populations, it has not been investigated in patients with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).The purpose of this study was to evaluate FHL in a primarily older, urban-dwelling ICD/pacemaker population. A secondary objective was to compare 2 commonly used instruments for assessing FHL.A convenience sample of 116 patients was recruited from an urban ICD/pacemaker clinic. Participants were asked to complete the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA) followed by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults to assess reading comprehension and numeracy. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between FHL and patient descriptors.The population was 68 ± 13 years of age, and 62.7% were men. The sample was ethnically diverse: 37.1% white, 39.7% Hispanic, and 22.4% African American; 77.4% of the population reported finishing high school. Of the 109 completing the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, 60.6% had adequate FHL, 10.1% had marginal FHL, and 29.4% had inadequate FHL. The presence of co...
Source: The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: J Cardiovasc Nurs Source Type: research