Health literacy and health care in an inner-city, total laryngectomy population.
BACKGROUND
Literacy in the head and neck cancer patient has been understudied. Health literacy (HL) is "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions." Limited HL skills reduce access to health care. We surveyed our patients who underwent total laryngectomy (TL) to evaluate their HL.


METHODS
Patients who had undergone TL at Grady Hospital (Atlanta, GA), an inner-city hospital, between 1988 and 1992 were identified. Sociodemographics, general health quality of life, HL, and alaryngeal voice assessment were performed.


RESULTS
Thirty patients were eligible but 14 could not be located, 4 refused, and 4 were deceased or too ill to participate. More than one third of the remaining patients had severely inadequate HL scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients who underwent TL have a high incidence of becoming lost in the system as well as having inadequate health care literacy. Health literacy may be important when considering TL.
Beitler
Jonathan J
JJ
Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322-1013, USA. jonathan@radonc.emory.org
Chen
Amy Y
AY
Jacobson
Kara
K
Owens
Alma
A
Edwards
Megan
M
Johnstone
Peter A S
PA
D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D007825:Laryngectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011788:Quality of Life; D013071:Speech, Alaryngeal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D019037:Urban Health Services