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Respiratory Research
Published in: Respiratory Research 1/2022

Open Access 01-12-2022 | Bronchial Asthma | Review

Health literacy in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care: a narrative review and future directions

Authors: Iraj Poureslami, J. Mark FitzGerald, Noah Tregobov, Roger S. Goldstein, M. Diane Lougheed, Samir Gupta

Published in: Respiratory Research | Issue 1/2022

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Abstract

Respiratory self-care places considerable demands on patients with chronic airways disease (AD), as they must obtain, understand and apply information required to follow their complex treatment plans. If clinical and lifestyle information overwhelms patients’ HL capacities, it reduces their ability to self-manage. This review outlines important societal, individual, and healthcare system factors that influence disease management and outcomes among patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—the two most common ADs. For this review, we undertook a comprehensive literature search, conducted reference list searches from prior HL-related publications, and added insights from international researchers and scientists with an interest in HL. We identified methodological limitations in currently available HL measurement tools in respiratory care. We also summarized the issues contributing to low HL and system-level cultural incompetency that continue to be under-recognized in AD management and contribute to suboptimal patient outcomes. Given that impaired HL is not commonly recognized as an important factor in AD care, we propose a three-level patient-centered model (strategies) designed to integrate HL considerations, with the goal of enabling health systems to enhance service delivery to meet the needs of all AD patients.
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Metadata
Title
Health literacy in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care: a narrative review and future directions
Authors
Iraj Poureslami
J. Mark FitzGerald
Noah Tregobov
Roger S. Goldstein
M. Diane Lougheed
Samir Gupta
Publication date
01-12-2022
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Respiratory Research / Issue 1/2022
Electronic ISSN: 1465-993X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-022-02290-5

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