Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32053207›Full record

SynthesisHealth literacy research and practice2020

Health Literacy in Surgery.

Michelle E Chang, Samantha J Baker, Isabel C Dos Santos Marques, Amandiy N Liwo, Sebastian K Chung, Joshua S Richman, Sara J Knight, Mona N Fouad, C Ann Gakumo, Terry C Davis and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Health literacy research and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
43citing papers in PubMed
14.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

43 citing papers in PubMed, 90 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Observational
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. The Role of Health Literacy in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients' Surgical Journey: A Qualitative Study.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Readability of online patient education materials for cervical disc replacement.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Defining Opportunities to Improve Perioperative Ostomy Care and Education.Annals of surgery open : perspectives of surgical history, education, and clinical approaches · 2025
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Addressing Low Health Literacy in Surgical Populations.Clinics in colon and rectal surgery · 2025
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michelle E Chang
Samantha J Baker
Isabel C Dos Santos Marques
Amandiy N Liwo
Sebastian K Chung
Joshua S Richman
Sara J Knight
Mona N Fouad
C Ann Gakumo
Terry C Davis
Daniel I Chu
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans · USUniversity of Utah · US

Funding

Tracking & Evaluation CoreU54GM104940 · NIGMS · LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR · PI Peter Todd Katzmarzyk · 2012 to 2026
$69.1M
UAB K12 in Patient Centered Outcomes ResearchK12HS023009 · AHRQ · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI SAAG, KENNETH G · 2014 to 2018
$4.0M
Enhancing Health Literacy in Surgery (EHLIS) to Eliminate Surgical Disparities for African-Americans with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)K23MD013903 · NIMHD · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI CHU, DANIEL I · 2019 to 2021
$434k
AHRQ HHS K12 HS023009NIGMS NIH HHS U54 GM104940NIMHD NIH HHS K23 MD013903
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLow health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes in many chronic diseases and may have an important role in determining surgical outcomes. This study aims to comprehensively review the current state of science on adult health literacy in surgery and to identify knowledge gaps for future research.

methodsUsing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted to identify all studies from January 2002 through May 2018 that used validated instruments to assess health literacy among adult patients undergoing surgery. Studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and evaluated on findings by their focus on identifying health literacy levels, understanding associations with surgical outcomes, and/or developing interventions to address low health literacy. KEY

resultsThere were 51 studies on health literacy with data from 22,139 patients included in this review. Low health literacy was present in more than one-third of surgical patients (34%, interquartile range 16%-50%). The most commonly used validated instrument for assessment of health literacy in the surgical population was the Newest Vital Sign. Most studies were focused on identifying the prevalence of low health literacy within a surgery population (84%, n = 43). Few studies focused on understanding the association of health literacy to surgical outcomes (12%, n = 6) and even fewer studies developed interventions to address health literacy (4%, n = 2). DISCUSSION: Low health literacy is common among surgical patients. Important opportunities exist to better understand the role of health literacy in determining surgical outcomes and to develop more health literacy-sensitive models of surgical care. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020;4(1):e45-e65.] PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Health literacy has not been well-studied in surgery but likely plays an important role. In this article, we reviewed all current research on health literacy in surgery to help us understand where we are at and where we need to go. We found that low health literacy is common and we need more ways to address it in surgery.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyHumansSurgical Procedures, Operative

Identifiers

PMID32053207
PMCPMC7015264
OpenAlexW3006549594

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.