Filling out the forms: Health literacy among the uninsured

ABSTRACT

This study addresses health literacy among patients at a free clinic in Syracuse, NY. Researchers conducted chart reviews of 600 patients and qualitative interviews with 22 patients and 7 providers. Most clinic patients had a high school, or higher, level education and no difficulty with reading comprehension. Nevertheless, a majority had at least some difficulty with comprehending and following through on health information. For many interviewees, the greatest difficulty was completing the required forms for entitlement programs. The findings demonstrate that low health literacy may occur even among well-educated patients and recommend that health literacy be assessed for all patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Healthcare disparities
• health insurance
• health literacy
• poverty