Health Literacy-Related Knowledge and Experience among Nurses Practicing in Medical-Surgical Wards

Abstract

Health Literacy-Related Knowledge and Experience among Nurses Practicing in Medical-Surgical Wards Sadeq Al-Fayyadh1, Mohammed Baqer Al-Jubouri1, Hayder Al-Hadrawi2, Sabah Abdullah Jaafar3, Shaymaa Mohammed Hussein1 1University of Baghdad, College of Nursing, Iraq 2University of Kufa, College of Nursing, Iraq 3Al-Muthanna University, College of Nursing, Iraq Article Info Abstract Article History: Received: 16 November 2021 Revised: 25 March 2022 Accepted: 28 March 2022 Online: 27 April 2022 Keywords: Adult nursing; adult patient education; health communication; health literacy assessment; nurse’s knowledge Corresponding Author: Mohammed Baqer Al-Jubouri Adult Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Baghdad, Iraq Email: maaljubouri@conursing.uobaghdad.edu.iq Background: Medical-surgical nurses are responsible of providing competent care to clients with a wide-array of acute and chronic health problems. This challenging task requires arming nurses with advanced competencies of health literacy to effectively educate their clients. However, evidence about medical-surgical nurse’s health literacy-related knowledge and experience is limited. Purposes: This study aimed to determine the level of the health literacy-related knowledge and experience among medical-surgical nurses. Design: A descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted among a total sample of 177 nurses who were practicing in medical-surgical wards in teaching hospitals in Iraq. A convenience sampling method was used to select the participants. Data were collected using the Health Literacy Knowledge and Experiences Survey-2 (HLKES-2). Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used for data analysis. Results: The majority of nurses (92.3%) had a low level of knowledge regarding health literacy and more than half of the participants (58.7%) had an acceptable level of experience. Conclusion: Nurses’ information about health literacy needs to be updated via continuous education to enhance their knowledge and practice regarding this aspect.