Health literacy status and its relationship with physical therapy and rehabilitation applications in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the level of health literacy in patients with knee osteoarthritis and investigate the relationship between health literacy and exercise approaches and physical therapy use.

Patients and methods: The cross-sectional study included 203 patients (143 females, 60 males; mean age: 63.5±9.2 years) between November 2018 and September 2019. Sociodemographic data, exercise habits, the number of applications to the physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic, and physical therapy applications were recorded. The Turkish Health Literacy Scale-32 (THLS-32), was used to determine health literacy. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to evaluate pain and physical function. The relationship between THLS-32 and the number of admissions to the outpatient clinic, the number of physical therapy applications, exercise frequency, and WOMAC scores were investigated.

Results: The median THLS-32 of the patients was 33.8 (13-46.8). A statistically significant negative correlation was found between THLS-32 scores and the number of admissions to the physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic for knee pain in the last year, the number of physical therapies, the exercise frequency, and total WOMAC scores.

Conclusion: Increasing health literacy strengthens the capacities and participation of patients, reduces the costs of physical therapy, as well as medication costs, and consequently increases efficiency in the use of health services.