Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34728069›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of surgery2022

The association of health literacy and postoperative complications after colorectal surgery: A cohort study.

Lauren M Theiss, Tara Wood, Marshall C McLeod, Connie Shao, Isabel Dos Santos Marques, Swara Bajpai, Elizabeth Lopez, Anh M Duong, Robert Hollis, Melanie S Morris and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

39 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. The readability of total elbow arthroplasty educational materials.Journal of shoulder and elbow arthroplasty · 2026
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  8. 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
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  11. Review
  12. Health literacy of patients hospitalized for digestive surgeries.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2026
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
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  17. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Lauren M TheissDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Tara WoodDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Marshall C McLeodDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Connie ShaoDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Isabel Dos Santos MarquesDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Swara BajpaiDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Elizabeth LopezDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Anh M DuongDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Robert HollisDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Melanie S MorrisDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Daniel I ChuDivision of Gastrointestinal Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: dchu@uabmc.edu.

Funding

UAB Health Services Research (HSR) Training ProgramT32HS013852 · AHRQ · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI LEVITAN, EMILY B, MUGAVERO, MICHAEL J · 2003 to 2024
$8.0M
Surgical Oncology Research Training ProgramT32CA229102 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI HERBERT CHEN · 2018 to 2026
$3.2M
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 T32 HS013852NCI NIH HHS T32 CA229102NIMHD NIH HHS K23 MD013903
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHealth literacy is a determinant of health. Few studies characterize its association with surgical outcomes.

methodsRetrospective cohort study of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery 2015-2020. Health literacy assessed using Brief Health Literacy Screening Tool. Outcomes were postoperative complications, LOS, readmissions, mortality.

resultsOf 552 patients, 46 (8.3%) had limited health literacy, 506 (91.7%) non-limited. Median age 57.7 years, 305 (55.1%) patients were female, 148 (26.8%) were Black. Limited patients had higher rates of overall complications (43.5% vs. 24.3%, p = 0.004), especially surgical site infections (21.7% vs. 11.3%, p = 0.04). Limited patients had longer LOS (5 vs 3.5 days, p = 0.006). Readmissions and mortality did not differ. On multivariable analysis, limited health literacy was independently associated with increased risk of complications (OR 2.03, p = 0.046), not LOS (IRR 1.05, p = 0.67).

conclusionLimited health literacy is associated with increased likelihood of complications after colorectal surgery. Opportunities exist for health literate surgical care to improve outcomes for limited health literacy patients.

Indexed as

Colorectal SurgeryHealth LiteracyCohort StudiesElective Surgical ProceduresFemaleHumansLength of StayMaleMiddle AgedPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesColorectal surgeryHealth literacySurgical disparitiesSurgical outcomes

Identifiers

PMID34728069
PMCPMC9012791

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.