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Can Patients Interpret Health Information? An Assessment of the Medical Data Interpretation Test

Author

Listed:
  • Lisa M. Schwartz

    (VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT, and the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH, Lisa.Schwartz@Dartmouth.edu)

  • Steven Woloshin

    (VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT, and the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH)

  • H. Gilbert Welch

    (VA Outcomes Group, White River Junction, VT, and the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH)

Abstract

Objective . To establish the reliability/validity of an 18-item test of patients’ medical data interpretation skills. Design . Survey with retest after 2 weeks. Subjects . 178 people recruited from advertisements in local newspapers, an outpatient clinic, and a hospital open house. Results . The percentage of correct answers to individual items ranged from 20% to 87%, and medical data interpretation test scores (on a 0- 100 scale) were normally distributed (median 61.1, mean 61.0, range 6-94). Reliability was good (test-retest correlation = 0.67, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.71). Construct validity was supported in several ways. Higher scores were found among people with highest versus lowest numeracy (71 v. 36 , P

Suggested Citation

  • Lisa M. Schwartz & Steven Woloshin & H. Gilbert Welch, 2005. "Can Patients Interpret Health Information? An Assessment of the Medical Data Interpretation Test," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 25(3), pages 290-300, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:medema:v:25:y:2005:i:3:p:290-300
    DOI: 10.1177/0272989X05276860
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    Cited by:

    1. Chris M. R. Smerecnik & Ilse Mesters & Loes T. E. Kessels & Robert A. C. Ruiter & Nanne K. De Vries & Hein De Vries, 2010. "Understanding the Positive Effects of Graphical Risk Information on Comprehension: Measuring Attention Directed to Written, Tabular, and Graphical Risk Information," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(9), pages 1387-1398, September.
    2. Lyndal J. Trevena & Carissa Bonner & Yasmina Okan & Ellen Peters & Wolfgang Gaissmaier & Paul K. J. Han & Elissa Ozanne & Danielle Timmermans & Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, 2021. "Current Challenges When Using Numbers in Patient Decision Aids: Advanced Concepts," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 41(7), pages 834-847, October.
    3. Xesfingi, Sofia & Vozikis, Athanasios, 2014. "What shapes eHealth literacy of an individual?," MPRA Paper 60187, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Li‐Hsiang Wang & Suzanne Goopy & Chun‐Chih Lin & Alan Barnard & Chin‐Yen Han & Hsueh‐Erh Liu, 2016. "The emergency patient's participation in medical decision‐making," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(17-18), pages 2550-2558, September.

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