Parental Health Literacy and Acute Care Utilization in Children With Medical Complexity.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2024

Identifier

DOI: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007663

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions. Inadequate health literacy is associated with health disparities, poor health outcomes, and increased emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Children with medical complexity (CMC) have high rates of acute health care utilization. We examined the association of parental health literacy with acute care utilization and costs in CMC.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included parents of CMC receiving primary care at a free-standing children's hospital. We measured parental health literacy using the Single Item Literacy Screener, which measures the assistance needed to read health care materials. Our main predictor was parental health literacy, categorized as adequate versus inadequate. In a sensitivity analysis, we categorized health literacy as never needing assistance versus needing any assistance. Main outcomes were annual ED visits, hospitalizations, and associated costs.

RESULTS: Of the 236 parents of CMC, 5.5% had inadequate health literacy. Health literacy was not associated with acute care utilization or associated costs. In our sensitivity analysis, CMC whose parents need any assistance to read health care materials had 188% higher ED costs (adjusted rate ratio 2.88 [95% confidence interval: 1.63-5.07]) and 126% higher hospitalization costs (adjusted rate ratio 2.26 [95% confidence interval: 1.49-3.44]), compared with CMC whose parents never need assistance.

CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate parental health literacy was not associated with acute care utilization. However, CMC of parents needing any assistance to read health materials had higher ED and hospitalization costs. Further multicenter studies are needed.

Journal Title

Hosp Pediatr

Volume

14

Issue

10

First Page

426

Last Page

431

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Health Literacy; Cross-Sectional Studies; Parents; Female; Male; Emergency Service, Hospital; Child; Hospitalization; Child, Preschool; Adult; Hospitals, Pediatric; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Adolescent

Keywords

Health Literacy; Cross-Sectional Studies; Parents; Hospital Emergency Service; Hospitalization; Pediatric Hospitals; Patient Acceptance of Health Care

Link to Full Text
Library Record

Share

COinS