Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32448284›Full record

SynthesisBMC public health2020

The impact of health literacy environment on patient stress: a systematic review.

John Yeh, Remo Ostini

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 8% 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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Assessing health literacy and diversity within the All of Us Research Program.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Evaluating Drivers of the Patient Experience Triangle: Stress, Anxiety, and Frustration.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. 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

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

John YehFaculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, 4006, Australia. chiahan.yeh@uqconnect.edu.au.
Remo OstiniFaculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, 4006, Australia.
University of Queensland · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere exists little literature on situational health literacy - that is, how an individual's health literacy varies across different health literacy environments. However, one can consider the role of stress when examining the relationship between health situations and decision-making ability, and by proxy health literacy. The aim of this study was to assess the strength of the evidence on the relationship between health situations and patient stress, considered in the context of health professional perception, and determine what health situations act to influence patient stress.

methodsA systematic review of English articles using PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Embase databases was conducted. Search terms focused on 'patient', 'stress', and 'health care situations'. Only peer-reviewed original research with data on patient stress in the context of a health facility environment was included. Studies were screened and critically appraised by both authors. Study elements for extraction were defined by RO and extracted by JY.

resultsTwenty-four studies were included for narrative synthesis. Patients in Intensive Care Units were more stressed about factors relating to their physical discomfort, with some agreement from health care professionals. Parents of children in Intensive Care Units were more concerned with stressors relating to their child's appearance and behaviour, and alteration in their parental role. Few studies examined health settings other than Intensive Care Units, and those that did varied greatly in terms of study design and population characteristics, lacking generalisability.

conclusionsOverall, the findings of what patients find most stressful in Intensive Care Units can guide health care professionals practicing best practice care. However, the evidence on how patient stress is influenced by non-Intensive Care Unit health care settings is weak. Further research is needed to enhance current understanding of the interaction between patient stress and health care environments in both hospital and primary care settings.

Indexed as

Attitude to HealthHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHealth LiteracyHumansIntensive Care UnitsMaleMiddle AgedParentsPatientsStress, PsychologicalEnvironmentHealth facilitiesHealth literacyPatientsStress

Identifiers

PMID32448284
PMCPMC7245697
OpenAlexW3027890666

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.