Abstract:
Patient involvement in the health care process has been documented as a
critical component of successful disease management. However, inadequate
functional health literacy among patients is a well-known barrier to effective
doctor-patient communication, which has an adverse effect on health outcomes. This study aimed at investigating the association of functional health
literacy and doctor-patient communication among HIV/AIDS patients in
Homa Bay County, Kenya. It was a cross-sectional hospital-based survey conducted among 362 HIV/AIDS patients receiving care at the eight sub-county
hospitals of Homa Bay county. Data was collected using a self-administered
structured questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis
tests were used to ascertain the reliability and validity of study instruments,
while Logistic regression logistic analysis was used to measure the association
between functional health literacy and doctor-patient communication. 51% of
the respondents were females, and the majority (30.9%) of respondents fell in
the age group of 45 years and above. The respondents’ functional health literacy levels were inadequate at weighted means scores of 3.23 [SD 1.31]. The
study further established that functional health literacy significantly influenced doctor-patient communication [Nagelkerke R square = 0.318]. There
is, therefore, a need to document the determinants of functional health literacy to improve it and make doctor-patient interaction an enjoyable and
meaningful experience.
