Health Literacy and Psychiatric Hospital Readmission

Abstract

Health literacy (HL) is required for successful navigation of any complex health care system, and it is currently a public health problem. A large percentage of chronically mentally ill individuals have low HL. They are also at increased risk for hospital readmission and poor self-management skills. This study examined the HL of adult patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, investigated the relationship between HL and psychiatric hospital readmission, and identified differences in readmission rates between HL groups. A prospective, exploratory, descriptive research design was used to examine readmission rates among 30 adult patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder: 16 men (mean age = 37 years, SD ± 12.16) and 14 women (mean age = 41.36 years, SD ± 12.51). The study used an HL questionnaire at or near discharge, and 2- and 4-weeks postdischarge readmissions were tracked. HL strongly correlated with 2-week and total readmissions. The findings support the feasibility of assessing HL further in this patient population, validate the procedure for subsequent studies, and provide preliminary data on the relationship between HL and readmission. The findings may also be useful for patient education, discharge planning, and policy making. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(2):90-99.].