Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
General and disease-specific health literacy in patients with heart failure: an outcome analysis
- prospective observational study
Authors' conclusion
In patients with HF, limited general health literacy was observed in 22% of patients. General and disease-specific health literacy measures were not interchangeable, and only disease-specific health literacy showed an independent association with self-care behaviours. A tendency towards less favourable clinical outcomes was observed among patients with limited general health literacy.
Study context
- Population
- Outpatients with heart failure (HF) followed for 6 monthsoutpatients with HF (mean age 69 ± 11 years, 71% male)
- Participants
- 126 outpatients
- Exposure
- General and disease-specific health literacy and their association with behavioural, patient-reported and clinical outcomes
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Spearman's ρ
0.49
P
P < .001
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Limited general health literacy (Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) ≤ 9)
- Patients with limited general health literacy
- 22%
- Associated with lower educational level, more depressive symptoms, higher NT-proBNP levels, and a greater number of prescribed medications
- all P < .05
HF-related knowledge (univariable)
- BHLS
- P = 0.004
- Heart Failure-Specific Health Literacy Scale (HFsHLS)
- .049
- not sustained after multivariable adjustment
Health-related quality of life (univariable)
- BHLS
- P < 0.001
- HFsHLS
- .007
- not sustained after multivariable adjustment
Self-rated health (univariable)
- Both measures
- P < 0.001 for both
- not sustained after multivariable adjustment
Self-care behaviours (disease-specific health literacy)
- Univariable
- P = 0.033
- After multivariable adjustment
- P = 0.026
Clinical outcomes (death, HF hospitalization, emergency department visit)
- Neither measure was independently associated with clinical outcomes
- Patients with limited general health literacy showed numerically higher event rates and a tendency towards increased risk of clinical outcomes
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it