Health literacy and coronary artery disease: A systematic review

Abstract Objective Identify health literacy (HL) screening instruments available to CAD patients; describe the prevalence of low HL; explore the predictors of low HL; and, identify the association between HL, health behaviors, and outcomes among these patients. Methods A literature search of electronic databases was conducted for published articles from database inception to February 2017. Eligible articles included the assessment of HL in CAD patients. Health behaviors and outcomes included diet, exercise, smoking, medication use, hospital readmission, knowledge, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and psychosocial indicators. Results Overall, ten articles were included, of which two were RCTs, and seven were considered “good” quality. The most used screening instruments were REALM and TOFHLA. The average prevalence of low HL was 30.5%. Low HL participants were more likely to be older, male, from a non-white ethnic group, have many CVD comorbidities, lower educational level, disadvantaged socioeconomic position, and less likely to be employed. Low HL was consistently associated with hospital readmissions, low HRQoL, higher anxiety and lower social support. Conclusion The literature on HL in CAD patients is very limited. Practice implications Healthcare providers should start adopting strategies that can potentially mitigate the impact of low HL in the care of CAD patients.