Correlation of health literacy, health management self-efficacy, and attitude in elderly patients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study.
Su-Jung Liao, Lin-Jie Wang
PMID 38268261WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with schizophrenia living in rehabilitation institutions who found health information harder to use had less confidence managing their health and less positive health attitudes.
Nurses can check health literacy before teaching.
Key findings
01The average health literacy score was 28.47, on a questionnaire whose maximum score was 80.
02Higher health literacy was linked to greater confidence in managing health and more positive attitudes toward self-management.
03In the analysis, emotional health status and health literacy were the most important factors linked to health management self-efficacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured associations at one time, so it cannot show that health literacy causes better self-management or that improving literacy will change behaviour. Participants were all older adults with schizophrenia living long-term in rehabilitation institutions and able to communicate with MMSE above 20, so results may not apply to community-dwelling patients or those with more severe cognitive impairment. Most information came from self-report questionnaires, and the authors noted that low education and disease symptoms could make patients misunderstand questions. The sample was 120 patients referred by institutional staff, not a random sample, and the study did not test any nursing intervention.
Declared interests
This research did not receive a specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors, and the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the correlations as proof that health literacy causes better self-management or that teach-back will improve outcomes. This was a one-time survey of 120 institutionalised patients, and no intervention was tested.