Predictors of Low Health Care Literacy in Mohs Micrographic Surgery Patients.

Health literacy describes the capacity to obtain and process health information to make decisions and comprehend a treatment plan.[1] The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy was the first national assessment in the United States designed to measure health literacy and found that 36% of adults have basic or below basic health care literacy.[2] Reducing gaps in health quality and outcomes continues to be a challenge, and this low health literacy (LHL) rate may be playing an integral part. Thus, it may be beneficial to focus on improving patient comprehension in older patients (>65 years old), while targeting patients based on education level or living environments will be less effective. The lowest level of health literacy was seen in the oldest patients, suggesting that these patients are especially at risk for LHL. [Extracted from the article]