Health literacy: The knowledge, experience, and education of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Arizona

The purpose of this study was to examine if there is a relationship between Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) practicing in primary care settings in Arizona and health literacy knowledge, experience, and education. The Health Literacy Knowledge and Experience Survey (HL-KES) was utilized to measure the health literacy knowledge and experiences of participants. Sixty three APRNs completed this survey. Participants were able to identify that low health literacy skills are prevalent among all ethnic groups and were strongly aware of the consequences associated with low health literacy skills. Knowledge gaps were identified in the following areas: basic facts about health literacy, health literacy screening, and guidelines for written health care information. A scale with a Likert-type response format was utilized to measure health literacy experiences. Responses suggest that participants' health literacy experiences are somewhat limited with regard to assessing the reading level of written health care materials, use of health literacy screening tools, and use of alternative teaching strategies. Part 3 of the HL-KES provided information on the characteristics of the participants including health literacy education. Almost half of participants (48.3%) indicated they did not receive education about health literacy while in nursing school while 45% indicated they did not receive health literacy education while in nurse practitioner school. The majority of respondents (90%) indicated they do not receive continuing education about health literacy in their current practice setting.