Patients' Understanding of Health Information in Germany

Background:

The quality of doctor-patient communication and of written health information is central to organizational health literacy. Whether patients understand their doctors' explanations and textual material on health, however, is understudied. This study is the first to identify the overall levels of patients' understanding of health information and its associations with patients' social characteristics in outpatient health care in Germany.

Methods:

This analysis draws on data collected via a 2017 national health survey with a sample of 6,105 adults. Quality of communication was measured for consultations with general practitioners (GPs) and specialists (SPs) via the Ask Me 3 program questions, and through a question on written health material. Correlations with social characteristics were explored employing bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.

Results:

Over 90% of all respondents reported that they had understood their doctors' explanations during the last medical consultation. A lack of understanding was correlated with patients' self-reported very poor health, current health problem and high age (65 years and above). Fewer patients said that they understood written material well (86.7% for last visit at GP, 89.7% for last visit at SP). Poor understanding of written material was associated with low levels of education and high age.

Conclusion:

This work adds to the study of organizational HL in Germany. It found out that overall ratings of oral patient-doctor communication and written communication of health information are high. To increase patient understanding of health information and thereby possibly reduce health disparities, meeting the communication needs of older people, those of low education and those with poor self-reported health is suggested.