6.Adapting Health Literacy Tool for Use in Hospital: Experience of Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Aashi Ahmed, Bushra Anwar, Nadia Nisar, Saima Omair, Salma Ambreen and
Bilal Ahmed
ABSTRACT
Objective: To adapt HL-SF12 for measurement of literacy regarding disease prevention, health care and health promotion in patients visiting tertiary care hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Study Design: Cross sectional study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted Department of Community Medicine, HITEC-IMS, Taxila during the year January to June 2021.
Materials and Methods: Data was collected in three public sector tertiary care hospitals including Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi during the year 2018. We translated the HL-SF12 (short-form health literacy 12 items questionnaire) for Pakistani population in Urdu language. Face validity was assessed by 5 patients resembling target population. For content validity, 7 public health experts were consulted. Construct validity was assessed by administering questionnaire to patients and analyzing its results by exploratory factor analysis and correlation analysis. A total of 450 adults of either gender with age > 18 years, able to communicate in Urdu were selected from outpatient and emergency departments of three public sector hospitals.
Results: Health literacy questionnaire adapted by translating a 12 item pre-validated tool by European Consortium was accepted by subject experts as feasible. Some change in order of questions was advised by experts that were followed by researcher. Patients responded well to the questionnaire and didn’t require any help of data collectors for understanding of questions. Exploratory Factor analysis of this data identified three components. Construct validity assessed by correlation analysis was reasonably high.
Conclusion: Health literacy questionnaire by European Consortium was adapted by translation in Urdu language and was successfully applied with reasonable validity.
Key Words: Health literacy; HL-SF12; health promotion; delivery of health care; prevention and control
Citation of article: Ahmed A, Anwar B, Nisar N, Omair S, Ambreen S, Ahmed B. Adapting Health Literacy Tool for Use in Hospital: Experience of Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Med Forum 2021;32(10): 25-29.