Patient and physician factors predict patients' comprehension of health information.

Full Abstract

While patients frequently do not comprehend health information, little is known about patient and physician factors that influence lack of comprehension. To assess effectiveness of health information exchange, 19 physicians and 145 patients were given post-encounter questionnaires to evaluate the preceding visit. We analyzed differences in beliefs between patients who comprehended health information and patients who did not, and whether physicians' attitudes and self-assessment of their educational abilities influenced this comprehension. Patients with insufficient comprehension were more likely to have schooling below college and cited language as a barrier. Physicians who believed health information delivery to be important had fewer patients with comprehension difficulties, while physicians who assessed themselves as very effective educators had significantly more patients with lack of comprehension, compared with physicians who did not feel as effective. Patients' comprehension of health information was associated not only with patient factors but also with physicians' attitude and self-assessment.

Author information

Author/s: Lukoschek, Petra (P); Fazzari, Melissa (M); Marantz, Paul (P);

Affiliation: Department of Epidemiology & Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Room 1306, Belfer Building, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. lukosche(-atsign-)aecom.yu.edu

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Patient education and counseling (Patient Educ Couns), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jun; vol 50 (issue 2) : pp 201-10

Dates: Created 2003/06/03; Completed 2003/09/04; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 12781935, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

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