Back to Search Start Over

Health literacy in older patients with abdominal tumours and its association with clinical characteristics: A cross-sectional study.

Health literacy in older patients with abdominal tumours and its association with clinical characteristics: A cross-sectional study.

Authors :
Iwakura M
Kawagoshi A
Furukawa Y
Sugawara K
Wakabayashi T
Sato T
Wakasa M
Source :
European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society [Eur J Oncol Nurs] 2023 Dec; Vol. 67, pp. 102461. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 07.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Purpose: Health literacy (HL) is pivotal in managing patients with abdominal cancer and is associated with treatment outcomes and care experience. However, detailed characteristics of HL and their associations with clinical features remain uncertain in the population. Therefore, we aimed to comprehensively investigate HL and its associations with clinical characteristics in older patients with abdominal tumours.<br />Methods: We analysed 103 older patients with abdominal tumours prescribed perioperative rehabilitation programs in an acute care hospital. The Japanese version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire was used to measure comprehensive HL. Multivariate ordinal or linear regression analyses were used to explore the associations between HL and the following clinical characteristics: physical status, physical function, cardiopulmonary function, levels of activities of daily living (ADL), physical activity level, and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). All regression analyses included patient demographics as covariates.<br />Results: Approximately 50%-70% of the participants had difficulty accessing and appraising health-related information, and 20%-45% thought it was difficult to understand and apply the information. The percentage of limited HL levels in general HL, three health-relevant domains, and four competencies ranged from 62% to 83%. Moreover, regression analyses revealed that lower HL was associated with worse physical status/function, lower ADL, and poorer HR-QoL.<br />Conclusion: Most older patients with abdominal tumours have limited HL, which may lead them to make treatment decisions without fully understanding what healthcare providers advise. Furthermore, patients with lower HL are at a higher risk of poor treatment outcomes because of their worse clinical characteristics.<br />Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests.<br /> (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1532-2122
Volume :
67
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
37976753
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2023.102461