Grant Number:	1R01CA140151-01A1 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Dumenci, Levent
Organization:	Virginia Commonwealth University
Project Title:	Development of an Instrument to Measure Health Literacy in Cancer Patients
Fiscal Year:	2010

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Health literacy is recognized as a core component of effective communication in cancer care and is associated with a number of important health outcomes. Cancer, in particular, requires that patients be able to obtain and understand complex information about their disease and treatment (e.g., risks and benefits, odds in prognosis, side effects, median survival rates, informed consent). Patients with limited health literacy may not be able to obtain or understand important information about their cancer treatments, which may impact treatment adherence and disease outcomes. The overall goal of this study is to develop a cancer health literacy test. To accomplish this goal, we will: 1) identify a comprehensive set of cancer health literacy domains by means of a variety of intensive qualitative methods; 2) generate and refine draft items by employing accepted practices in scale development; and 3) test psychometric properties of the test by means of rigorous quantitative methods. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Low levels of health literacy have detrimental health consequences for patients. This project aims to develop an instrument to measure health literacy of cancer patients.





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