Kate E Dykhuis1, Linda Slowik2, Kelly Bryce3, Maren E Hyde-Nolan3, Anne Eshelman3, Lisa Renee Miller-Matero4. 1. Behavioral Health Department, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI. Electronic address: dykhuike@udmercy.edu. 2. Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI. 3. Behavioral Health Department, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI. 4. Behavioral Health Department, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI; Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Approximately half of Americans have inadequate health literacy, which leads to poorer health outcomes. Health numeracy is an important component of literacy, which reflects one's ability to understand and manipulate numbers. This is especially important for transplant candidates, as adherence to medical recommendations is essential for posttransplant care. Although validated measures of numeracy exist, they can be inconvenient and time consuming to administer. OBJECTIVE: The Brief Medical Numbers Test (BMNT) was created in 2011 to quickly assess the health numeracy of a patient during presurgical psychiatric transplant evaluations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the BMNT for this use via retrospective chart review. METHODS: There were 293 patients referred over a 2-year period for a presurgical psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation consisted of a semistructured interview and completion of several measures, including the BMNT, a measure of health literacy, and a brief test of cognitive functioning. RESULTS: The BMNT had acceptable internal consistency (α = .71), convergent validity with health literacy and cognitive functioning, and predictive validity with surgical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data suggests the BMNT is a reliable and valid measure of health numeracy in patients being evaluated for transplant.
BACKGROUND: Approximately half of Americans have inadequate health literacy, which leads to poorer health outcomes. Health numeracy is an important component of literacy, which reflects one's ability to understand and manipulate numbers. This is especially important for transplant candidates, as adherence to medical recommendations is essential for posttransplant care. Although validated measures of numeracy exist, they can be inconvenient and time consuming to administer. OBJECTIVE: The Brief Medical Numbers Test (BMNT) was created in 2011 to quickly assess the health numeracy of a patient during presurgical psychiatric transplant evaluations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the BMNT for this use via retrospective chart review. METHODS: There were 293 patients referred over a 2-year period for a presurgical psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation consisted of a semistructured interview and completion of several measures, including the BMNT, a measure of health literacy, and a brief test of cognitive functioning. RESULTS: The BMNT had acceptable internal consistency (α = .71), convergent validity with health literacy and cognitive functioning, and predictive validity with surgical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data suggests the BMNT is a reliable and valid measure of health numeracy in patients being evaluated for transplant.
Authors: Leah M Hecht; Kellie M Martens; Bethany D Pester; Aaron Hamann; Arthur M Carlin; Lisa R Miller-Matero Journal: Obes Surg Date: 2022-01-21 Impact factor: 4.129