Lost opportunities to improve health literacy: observations in a chronic illness clinic providing care for patients with epilepsy in Cape Town South Africa.

Low health literacy (LHL) is reported globally as a barrier to achieving quality of life of patients with epilepsy. In South Africa, despite reports that epilepsy is poorly managed and understood, little attention has been paid to promote health literacy of patients suffering from the condition and those providing their care. We used observation to gain a picture of interactions between patients with epilepsy and health care providers in a chronic illness clinic serving the marginalized population groups in Cape Town. The observation data were compiled into descriptive field notes which were content analyzed. Our findings revealed some patient and health care provider health literacy-related factors affecting the understanding of epilepsy and treatment outcomes. There were also some lost opportunities where health literacy could have been promoted. However, these results cannot be generalized, but they highlight a true picture of contextual health system factors that need to be addressed.