Inzhili K. Ismail|Stacey Burns|Kristen Rezak|Oluwaseun A. Adetayo|Richard L. Agag|Malcolm Z. Roth|Ashit Patel
An Evaluation of Health Literacy in Plastic Surgery Patients
introduction health literacy encompasses patients literacy comprehension participation 12 low health literacy associated 106236 billion annually increased hospitalizations 34 currently data levels health literacy plastic surgery patients recent survey asps members demonstrated plastic surgeons overestimate health literacy patients 5 goal assess health literacy patients academic plastic surgery practice identify patients risk low health literacy materials methods study approved institutional review board patients underwent surgical repair facial trauma hand trauma breast reconstruction included separate questionnaires created group questionnaires collected patients first postoperative visits health literacy assessment graded comparing patients responses medical records health literacy score calculated patient logistic regression students ttest used associations demographic variables mean health literacy scores results one hundred six patients included mean health literacy scores 197 094 3 facial trauma patients 633 24 14 5 hand trauma patients 48 376 043 4 breast reconstruction patients 95 facial trauma hand trauma groups patients receiving college education higher significantly higher mean health literacy scores table 1 hand trauma group statistically significant difference found mean scores patients medicaid 175 sd 166 patients private health insurancemedicare 280 sd 120 health literacy assessment p00358 breast reconstruction group statistically significant difference found mean scores patients medicaid 333 sd 052 patients private health insurancemedicare 384 sd 037 health literacy assessment p00300 table 2table 1 mean health literacy scores highest level education completedindicates significance pvalue 005table 2 mean health literacy scores insurance type privatemedicare versus medicaidindicates significance pvalue 005 conclusion study demonstrates academic plastic surgery setting patients traumatic injuries low education level public insurance may risk low health literacy identifying risk factors low health literacy enable future efforts enhance quality efficiency healthcare