ABSTRACT
Health literacy is an important contributor to healthcare. There is evidence that low levels of health literacy concern a significant percentage of surgical patients, which entails risks for their care and increases costs for care organizations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of health literacy in care to surgical patients. A narrative literature review in electronic databases was conducted with specific keywords.
The selection of the studies was based on defined eligibility criteria. Data extracted were analyzed and synthesized. The literature review revealed that a significant percentage of surgical patients had a low level of health literacy. Both individual and social factors were associated with health literacy. It was also evident that insufficient health literacy has an impact on patients’ pre-operative preparation as well as on post-operative care and the recovery process. Finally, it was found that appropriately structured educational interventions improve the level of understanding to the patients with insufficient health literacy related to the information and instructions provided for the surgical procedure, achieving greater compliance and satisfaction. Health literacy constitutes a vital component in surgical care, with benefits for both patients and care organizations.
Further research is needed to investigate the factors related to health literacy, as well as the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve the quality of surgical care and to enhance patient participation during the peri-operative period.
Key words: Ηealth outcomes, health literacy, patient education, surgical patients, surgical care
