Health Literacy Among Swedish Lung Transplant Recipients 1 to 5 Years After Transplantation.

Introduction: Understanding medical information and self-management ability is vital for good quality of life among transplant recipients. However, health literacy (HL) has never been investigated among lung transplant recipients.

Objective: This study investigated HL among Swedish lung transplant recipients 1 to 5 years after lung transplantation in relation to recovery, fatigue, adherence, cognitive function (CF), and relevant demographic variables.

Method: This study was part of a cross-sectional, Swedish multicenter study 1 to 5 years post lung transplantation called Self-Management after Thoracic Transplantation. In total, 117 (57%) of 204 eligible lung recipients due for their yearly follow-up were included; 1 year (n = 35), 2 years (n = 28), 3 years (n = 23), 4 years (n = 20) or 5 years (n = 11) after transplantation. The newest vital sign (NVS) instrument was used to measure the level of HL and contained 6 interview questions. The total scores ranged from 0 to 6 with 0 to 1= inadequate/low, 2 to 3 = marginal, 4 to 6 = adequate/good HL.

Results: Twenty-one percent reported an NVS score of 0 to 3 indicating low or marginal HL and 79% scored 4 to 6 indicating adequate HL. Recipients scoring low or marginal were represented in all 5 years posttransplant, and the majority were not able to work. Health literacy was not related to age, sex, fatigue, adherence, recovery, marital status, or self-reported CF.

Discussion: Health literacy was good among Swedish lung recipients. Providers should be aware that patients with low HL might present at any time posttransplant, and screening will help identify patients who need extra support.