Health Care Provider Bias in Estimating the Health Literacy of Caregivers in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Background: Health literacy is a growing concern because of its effects on communication and health outcomes. One aspect of this communication is the ability of the health care provider to estimate the health literacy of a patient or their caregiver. The objectives of this study are to quantify misestimation of caregiver health literacy by providers and identify potential descriptive or demographic factors that might be related to those misestimations. Methods: Providers were asked to perceive descriptive factors and estimate the health literacy of caregivers in a pediatric Emergency Department. Then, the health literacy of the caregiver was tested using the Short Assessment of Health Literacy, and cross-tabulated with provider estimates. Results: Providers correctly estimated the health literacy of the caregivers 60% of the time, and misestimates were often underestimates (27.7%) rather than overestimates (12.3%). Providers overestimated the health literacy of 24.1% of fathers and only 9.8% of mothers (P = 0.012). They correctly estimated the health literacy of 63.9% of English-speaking caregivers compared with 30.6% of Spanish-speaking caregivers, and underestimated the health literacy of 50% of Spanish-speaking caregivers and 24.8% of English-speaking caregivers (P < 0.001). Providers correctly estimated the health literacy of 34.4% of racially and ethnically diverse caregivers compared with 71.5% of White/non-Hispanic caregivers. They underestimated the health literacy of 52.1% of these racially and ethnically diverse caregivers and 16.8% of White/non-Hispanic caregivers (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Providers often overestimate and underestimate the health literacy of parents in the pediatric emergency department. Misestimates are related to race, caregiver role, and language spoken by the caregiver. When providers misestimate health literacy, they may use words or phrases that are above or below the health literacy level of the caregiver. These results suggest a need for further health literacy research and interventions in provider education and clinical practice.