Aleda M.H. Chen|Karen S. Yehle|Kimberly S. Plake|Matthew M. Murawski|Holly L. Mason
Health Literacy and Self-care of Patients With Heart Failure
Purdue University West Lafayette|Dean College|Institute on Aging|National Institute on Aging|Purdue University West Lafayette|Dean College|Institute on Aging|National Institute on Aging|Purdue University West Lafayette|Dean College|Institute on Aging|National Institute on Aging|Purdue University West Lafayette|Dean College|Institute on Aging|National Institute on Aging|Purdue University West Lafayette|Dean College|Institute on Aging|National Institute on Aging
background research objective todays complex healthcare system relies heavily sophisticated selfcare regimens navigate system follow selfcare protocols patients must able understand use health information requires health literacy however nearly 90 million americans lack necessary health literacy skills adequately care face complex healthcare system selfcare regimens understanding effectively care ones self thought improve heart failure symptoms patient outcomes little actually known health literacy influences selfcare patients heart failure purpose pilot study examine relationship health literacy selfcare patients heart failure subjects methods patients diagnosis heart failure recruited variety community settings participants completed shortform test functional health literacy measured health literacy selfcare index heart failure measured selfcare maintenance management confidence demographic questionnaire spearman correlations used assess strength relationship health literacy level selfcare scores results conclusions among 49 participants recruited health literacy positively related selfcare maintenance rs 0357 p 006 health literacy negative relationship selfcare management rs 0573 p 001 association health literacy selfcare confidence rs 0201 p 083 project provides preliminary data regarding association health literacy selfcare heart failure showing support higher healthliterate patients performing selfcare maintenance shown improve patient outcomes heart failure patients higher health literacy trended toward greater selfcare confidence increase likelihood performing selfcare finding statistically significant unexpected find lower healthliterate patients performed selfcare management