HEALTH LITERACY OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND RELATED FACTORS

Authors : Seda Karakaya Ergün, Dilek Cingil

Pages : 268-278

View : 18 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2024-11-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: The health literacy level of caregivers is essential for patient care. This study was conducted as a descriptive study to determine the health literacy level of caregivers. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and correlational research. The study consists of 263 caregivers of the patients who were hospitalized between March and June 2019. All of the participants in the study were chosen over the age of eighteen. The sociodemographic information form, Barthel Index, and Health Literacy Scale (HLS) were used as the data collection tools. Results: Based on the scores obtained from Health Literacy Scale and its sub-dimensions, it was found that the health literacy level of caregivers was high. It was found that there was a positive correlation between perceived health of caregiver and HLS total score. It was also seen that there was a negative correlation between the total dependence of the patient, age of the patient, the number of illnesses the caregiver had, the number of hospitalizations of the patient and HLS total score. Conclusion: As a conclusion, in this study which was conducted to determine the level of the health literacy of family caregivers and related factors, it was found that the level of health literacy among family caregivers affected some of the care-related variables. Further studies on the level of health literacy among family caregivers, identifying deficiencies, and taking necessary precautions are important for improving patient care and its quality.
Keywords : sağlık okuryazarlığı, bakım verenler, insan, evde bakım hizmetleri