The health literacy of hospitalized trauma patients: We should be screening for deficiencies

In this study, we sought to determine if HL deficiency was associated with comprehension of discharge instructions.
METHODS
In this prospective study, hospitalized trauma patients underwent evaluation of HL prior to discharge. Newest Vital Sign (NVS) instrument was used to score HL as deficient, marginal, or proficient. Three days postdischarge, patients were telephonically administered a six-point scored questionnaire regarding comprehension of discharge instructions. A general linear model was used to determine the association between HL and comprehension of discharge instructions.
RESULTS
Sixty-three patients were administered both NVS and discharge instruction questionnaire. Ten (15.9%) patients scored as deficient in HL on the NVS screen, 16 (25.4%) as marginally proficient, and 37 (58.7%) as proficient. The HL proficiency significantly predicted follow-up score with increasing proficiency associated with higher scores on the discharge comprehension assessment (p

Source: The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care - November 1, 2019 Category: Orthopaedics Tags: 2019 WTA PODIUM PAPERS Source Type: research