Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist, St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London.
Professor of Nursing Practice, University Hospital Dorset NHS Trust and Bournemouth University, Bournemouth.
Br J Nurs. 2024 Nov 21;33(21):1016-1025. doi: 10.12968/bjon.2023.0230.
Health literacy is defined as an individual's ability to access, understand and use information to make informed decisions. This study aimed to assess health literacy levels and explore the relationship between health literacy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity. A cross-sectional study of health literacy in patients with COPD used the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) and the Medical Research Council Breathlessness Scale to assess COPD severity. HLQ domains of 'having sufficient information to manage my health', 'actively managing health', and 'understanding health information' scored most highly. Patients with the greatest COPD severity had lower scores in the domain 'having sufficient information to manage my health', but indicated an improved ability to appraise health information. Patients with increased COPD severity have greater self-reported skills in appraising health information, but they report reduced confidence in having sufficient information to manage their health. This study highlights the importance of considering health literacy levels, as this could be a barrier to successful self-management.
健康素养被定义为个体获取、理解和使用信息以做出明智决策的能力。本研究旨在评估健康素养水平，并探讨健康素养与慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）严重程度之间的关系。采用健康素养问卷（HLQ）和医学研究委员会呼吸困难量表对 COPD 患者进行健康素养横断面研究，以评估 COPD 严重程度。HLQ 中“有足够的信息来管理我的健康”、“积极管理健康”和“理解健康信息”这三个领域的得分最高。COPD 严重程度最高的患者在“有足够的信息来管理我的健康”这一领域的得分较低，但表示他们有能力更好地评估健康信息。COPD 严重程度增加的患者在自我报告评估健康信息的技能方面有所提高，但他们对有足够的信息来管理自己的健康表示信心不足。本研究强调了考虑健康素养水平的重要性，因为这可能是成功自我管理的障碍。
