Association between health literacy and diabetes control in a pharmacist-run disease state management clinic

To date, studies have shown mixed results regarding the relationship between health literacy and diabetic control. This study examined diabetes control in a clinic run by an advanced practice pharmacist with prescriptive authority who was aware of patients’ health literacy level. The primary objective of this study was to determine if patients with diabetes who have adequate health literacy achieve better A1C control than patients with inadequate health literacy when managed by a pharmacist clinician (PhC) aware of patients’ health literacy status. Of the ninety-six patients included in the study, sixty-three percent had inadequate health literacy. White patients had numerically greater percentage of adequate health literacy than other ethnicities (p = 0.082). The change in A1C was similar between groups [median −0.5% for inadequate health literacy; −1% for adequate health literacy (p = 0.273)]. The no-show rate was also similar between the two groups (p = 0.919). In the multiple linear regression, no factors significantly impacted baseline or follow-up A1C. Patients receiving diabetes care from a PhC aware of the patients’ health literacy status did not achieve different A1C outcomes based on level of health literacy. *Corresponding author: Cheyenne Newsome, Washington State University College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box 1495, Spokane, WA 99210-1495, USA E-mail: [email protected]