Association between health literacy and outcomes in rheumatic diseases
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Association between health literacy and outcomes in rheumatic diseases
IRAS ID
350751
Contact name
Elena Nikiphorou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research & Development Governance Manager, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 18 days
Research summary
Health literacy (HL) is the ability of an individual to obtain, understand and use information to promote and maintain good health. Low HL is a known barrier to optimal outcomes in people with chronic conditions, including rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). An increasing body of research demonstrates low HL to be associated with both clinical (e.g. disease activity) and non-clinical (e.g. quality of life, function, medication adherence) outcomes. Deficits in HL negatively affect patients’ ability to understand important aspects of care such as reading health and medication information, and accessing online facets of care, such as telehealth and Internet resources. In particular, literature on HL and rarer RMDs (e.g. vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, certain inflammatory arthritides), and difficult-to-assess outcomes remains relatively sparse.
We aim to assess the association between HL, related social determinants of health and outcomes in patients with RMDs, with the ultimate goal of guiding tailored patient education and care strategies.
Our primary objective is to evaluate the differences in HL between patients with RMDs. Our secondary objectives are: i) identify the social determinants of health and components of health literacy that associate with outcomes including disease activity (as per the RMD), pain, patient and physician global health, inflammation levels, medication adherence and clinic attendance, and; ii) identify components of health literacy that associate with adherence to treatment plans and outcomes.
This will be a cross-sectional study, with patients recruited from the outpatient rheumatology clinics at King’s College Hospital, London. A questionnaire, incorporating the 44-question health literacy questionnaire (HLQ) will be given to patients in-person, following valid consent and providing the patient information sheet. Relevant outcomes recorded on the patient’s electronic health record will then be matched to questionnaire responses prior to analysis.REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0629
Date of REC Opinion
27 May 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion