Health literacy linked to postop recovery in outpatients

Editor's Note

Inadequate functional health literacy (FHL) in ambulatory surgery patients was associated with poorer postoperative recovery and a lower quality of life in this study.

Of 704 patients undergoing ambulatory surgery who were surveyed, 427 (60.7%) reported sufficient FHL, 223 (31.7%) said problematic FHL, and 54 (7.7%) had inadequate FHL.

The global score of quality of recovery indicated poor recovery in those with inadequate and problematic FHL, and patients with inadequate or problematic FHL had a lower health-related quality of life than those with sufficient FHL.

The researchers concluded that health literacy should be considered when optimizing postoperative recovery in ambulatory surgery patients.