Heart Failure and Low Health Literacy: Mitigating This Lethal Combination

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals are able to access and process basic health information and services and thereby participate in health-related decisions. Limited health literacy is highly prevalent in the United States and is strongly associated with patient morbidity, mortality, healthcare use, and costs. The objectives of this American Heart Association scientific statement are (1) to summarize the relevance of health literacy to cardiovascular health; (2) to present the adverse associations of health literacy with cardiovascular risk factors, conditions, and treatments; (3) to suggest strategies that address barriers imposed by limited health literacy on the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease; (4) to demonstrate the contributions of health literacy to health disparities, given its association with social determinants of health; and (5) to propose future directions for how health literacy can be integrated into the American Heart Association's mandate to advance cardiovascular treatment and research, thereby improving patient care and public health. Inadequate health literacy is a barrier to the American Heart Association meeting its 2020 Impact Goals, and this statement articulates the rationale to anticipate and address the adverse cardiovascular effects associated with health literacy.

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“…169 These data indicate that health literacy strongly contributes to adverse outcomes in heart failure. 170 Magnani et al…”

Section: Congestive Heart Failure and Health Literacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Literacy and Cardiovascular Disease: Fundamental Relevance to Primary and Secondary Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Magnani¹,

Mujahid²,

Aronow³

et al. 2018

Circulation

312

212

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“…In addition, it is also the responsibility of the medical team to assess the socioeconomic situation and the life story of the patient. Medical personnel should recognise that patients are active agents of change, acknowledging them as the protagonists of their own improvement [ 5 , 15 , 38 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main objective of the DSME is to support the patient in conscious decision making, that is, to provide the necessary information about the disease, to improve their health status and quality of life. The second national standard is Diabetes Self-Management Support, which includes a variety of behavioural, educational, psychosocial, or clinical activities that help patients with diabetes implement the strategies needed to manage the new condition continuously and effectively [ 4 , 15 , 16 ]. According to healthcare guidelines [ 17 ], DSME is essential so that patients learn the necessary skills and can maintain information after receiving the diagnosis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portuguese adaptation of the Chronic Heart Failure Knowledge Questionnaire (KQCHF)

Azzam

Fidelis

Nunes

et al. 2023

BMC Cardiovasc Disord

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Background A patient’s knowledge of heart failure (HF) is associated with better outcomes. The more information patients have about their illness, the less likely they are to be readmitted to the hospital. Such knowledge includes the cause, symptoms, probable duration, and expected evolution of the clinical picture. In Portugal, a tool for testing patient knowledge is an unmet need. Therefore, this study aimed to adapt and test the Chronic Heart Failure Knowledge Questionnaire (KQCHF) for the Portuguese context. Methods This work includes three cross-sectional studies. In Study 1, subjects were divided between before and after receiving information about HF. In Study 2, participants answered the questionnaire before and after reading the brochure. In Study 3, KQCHF was applied to patients with HF. Studies 1 and 2 were carried out in the general population. Study 3 was carried out with HF outpatients. Convenience sampling was applied to participants in the three studies. Results In Study 1 (n = 45), those who received information had better scores (9.2 ± 1.9) than those who did not (6.0 ± 2.3). In Study 2 (n = 21), the scores were higher after reading the brochure (10.4 ± 1.7 vs. 6.5 ± 2.9). In Study 3 (n = 169), women had better scores than men (9.1 ± 2.1 vs. 8.3 ± 2.2, overall: 8.5 ± 2.2), and knowledge was correlated with education (r = .340, p < .001) and age (r = -.170, p = .030). Conclusion The Portuguese adaptation of KQCHF captured relevant knowledge about HF and has shown promising results for clinical and research purposes. The questionnaire can be useful in assessing HF patients’ knowledge of their disease and as a basis for the implementation of general and personalised educational strategies to improve HF knowledge and, therefore, promote health literacy and self-care.

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“…In addition, it is emphasized that low health education can predict morbidity and mortality (15)(16) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also associated with the incidence of mortality in outpatients and inpatients. In addition, it is emphasized that low health education can predict morbidity and mortality 15 - 16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of health education in the self-care and adherence of patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis

Tinoco

Figueiredo

Flores

et al. 2021

Rev. Latino-Am. Enfermagem

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Objective: to evaluate in the literature the effectiveness of the health education interventions in self-care and adherence to treatment of patients with Chronic Heart Failure. Method: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Studies were selected that compared health education interventions with the usual care to assess the outcomes of adherence and self-care. The quality of the methodological evidence was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Results: the educational interventions were more effective in relation to the usual care in the outcome of adherence (fixed effect=0-3841; p-value <0.001). There was no statistical difference in the outcome of self-care (fixed effect=0.0063; p-value=0.898). Conclusion: the educational interventions improved the outcome of adherence, though not self-care in the patient with Heart Failure.

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Heart Failure and Low Health Literacy: Mitigating This Lethal Combination

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

Health Literacy and Cardiovascular Disease: Fundamental Relevance to Primary and Secondary Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Health Literacy and Cardiovascular Disease: Fundamental Relevance to Primary and Secondary Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Portuguese adaptation of the Chronic Heart Failure Knowledge Questionnaire (KQCHF)

Effectiveness of health education in the self-care and adherence of patients with heart failure: a meta-analysis

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