Sense of security during COVID-19 isolation improved with better health literacy - A cross-sectional study

• Published in: Patient Education and Counseling
• Main Authors: Ingadóttir, Brynja, Bragadottir, Bjork, Zoëga, Sigríður, Blöndal, Katrín, Jónsdóttir, Helga, Hafsteinsdóttir, Elín Jóhanna G
• Other Authors: Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Other departments
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Hjúkrun langveikra fullorðinna; Hjúkrun aðgerðasjúklinga; COVID-19; Health literacy; Healthcare; Sense of security; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Middle Aged; Male; COVID-19/epidemiology; Adult; Female; Surveys and Questionnaires; Retrospective Studies; General Medicine; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4212; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.107788

Funding Information: This work was supported by the University of Iceland Research Fund , the Icelandic Nurses’ Association Research Fund and Landspitali University Hospital Science Fund ( A-2022-051 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors OBJECTIVE: To assess sense of security, health literacy, and the association between sense of security and health literacy during COVID-19 self-isolation. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey all adults who caught COVID-19 from the onset of the pandemic until June 2020 in Iceland and received surveillance from a special COVID-19 outpatient clinic, were eligible. Participants retrospectively answered the Sense of Security in Care - Patients' Evaluation and the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire. Data were analysed with parametric and non-parametric tests. RESULTS: Participants' (N = 937, 57% female, median age 49 (IQR=23)) sense of security during isolation was Med 5.5 (IQR=1) and 90% had sufficient health literacy. The proposed regression model (R2 =.132) indicated that those with sufficient health literacy had, on average, higher sense of security than those with inadequate health literacy. CONCLUSION: Sense of security was high among individuals who received surveillance from an outpatient clinic during isolation and was associated with health literacy. The high health literacy rate may be an indication of a high COVID-19 specific health literacy rather than general health literacy. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare professionals can improve the sense of security of patients through measures to improve their health literacy, including their navigation health literacy, by practising good communication, and providing effective patient education. Peer reviewed