The effect of gastrointestinal patients’ health literacy levels on gastrointestinal patients’ health outcomes

Abstract

Health literacy is defined as “the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate decisions for the betterment of his or her health” (1). At least half of American adults may not understand the complex medical communications used in the delivery of care, leading to negative consequences on care quality, disparities, and costs (2). Inadequate health literacy levels have been associated with numerous health issues such as worse overall health (3), increased rate of obesity (4), and increased use of Original Article