Investigating the relationship between health literacy and quality of life on hemodialysis patients in selected medical centers under the auspices of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences

Introduction and Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients. Methods: The present study was conducted by descriptive-correlation and cross-sectional method in 1399 in Ardabil, Iran. The statistical population included 450 hemodialysis patients covered by Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, from which a sample of 140 people was selected based on Cochran's formula. Patients who were treated more than 3 a month, having hemodialysis one to three times a week were included. Failure to respond to all items of the questionnaire and reluctance and lack of motivation to respond to the questionnaires were the criteria for exclusion. Data collection tools included health literacy and quality of life questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Results: 39% of patients had low health literacy, 41% had moderate and only 20% of patients had high health literacy, also 35% of patients had low quality of life, 42% had a moderate quality of life, and 23% had a high quality of life. The results of the Pearson and Spearman tests showed that there is a significant relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients (P <0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the level of health literacy is insufficient and there is a significant relationship between health literacy and the quality of life of hemodialysis patients; Therefore, due to the insufficient level of health literacy among patients, it is necessary to pay more attention to health literacy in quality of life improvement programs.