Rehabilitation Consumers' Use and Understanding of Quality Information: A Health Literacy Perspective

Abstract 

Magasi S, Durkin E, Wolf MS, Deutsch A. Rehabilitation consumers' use and understanding of quality information: a health literacy perspective.

Objectives

To explore consumers' use and understanding of quality information about postacute rehabilitation facilities.

Design

Thematic, semistructured interviews.

Setting

Two skilled nursing facilities and 2 inpatient rehabilitation facilities in a large Midwestern city.

Participants

Rehabilitation inpatients (n=17) with stroke, hip fractures, and joint replacements and care partners (n=12) of rehabilitation inpatients.

Intervention

None.

Main Outcome Measure

None.

Results

Health literacy imposed barriers to participants' understanding of quality information. Using the Institute of Medicine's Health Literacy Framework, we identified specific barriers that limited participants' abilities to (1) obtain quality information, (2) process and understand quality information, and (3) make appropriate decisions about the quality of a rehabilitation facility. Participants tended to rely on informal and nonquality information when choosing a rehabilitation facility.

Conclusions

Given the barriers imposed by low health literacy, rehabilitation providers have a responsibility to present quality information in a way that consumers, especially those with low health literacy, can use and understand.

Key Words: Qualitative research, Quality indicators, health care, Rehabilitation

List of Abbreviations: CARF, Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, CMS, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, IRFs, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, SNFs, skilled nursing facilities