Health Literacy in Surgical Oncology Patients An Observational Study at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Background: Lowhealth literacy is associatedwith increased resource use and poorer outcomes inmedical and surgical patients with various diseases. This observational study was designed to determine (1) the prevalence of low health literacy among surgical patients with cancer at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), and (2) associations between health literacy and clinical outcomes. Methods: Patients receiving surgery (N=218) for gastrointestinal (60%) or genitourinary cancers (22%) or sarcomas (18%) were recruited during their postsurgical hospitalization. Patients self-reported health literacy using the Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool (BRIEF). Clinical data (length of stay [LoS], postacute care needs, and unplanned presentation for care within 30 days) were abstracted fromthe electronicmedical records 90 days after surgery. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between health literacy and clinical outcomes, adjusting for potential confounding variables. Results: Of 218 participants, 31 (14%) showed low health literacy (BRIEF score <= 12). In regression analyses including 212 patients with complete data, lowhealth literacy significantly predicted LoS (beta=1.82; 95% CI, -3.00 to -0.66; P=.002) and postacute care needs (odds ratio [OR], 0.25; 95% CI, 0.07-0.91). However, health literacy was not significantly associated with unplanned presentation for care in the 30 days after surgery (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.20-1.29). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the prevalence of low health literacy in a surgical cancer population at a high-volume NCI-designated CCC and its association with important clinical outcomes, including hospital LoS and postacute care needs. Universal screening and patient navigation may be 2 approaches tomitigate the impact of low health literacy on postsurgical outcomes.