Article

OBJECTIVES: To explore consumers' use and understanding of quality information
about postacute rehabilitation facilities. DESIGN:
Thematic, semistructured
interviews. SETTING: Two skilled nursing facilities and 2 inpatient
rehabilitation facilities in a large Midwestern city. PARTICIPANTS:
Rehabilitation inpatients (n=17) with stroke, hip fractures, and joint
replacements and care partners (n=12) of rehabilitation inpatients. INTERVENTION:
None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: None. RESULTS: Health literacy imposed barriers to
participants' understanding of quality information. Using the Institute of
Medicine's Health Literacy Framework, we identified specific barriers that
limited participants' abilities to (1) obtain quality information,
(2) process
and understand quality information, and (3) make appropriate decisions about the
quality of a rehabilitation facility. Participants tended to rely on informal and
nonquality information when choosing a rehabilitation facility. CONCLUSIONS:
Given the barriers imposed by low health literacy, rehabilitation providers have
a responsibility to present quality information in a way that consumers,
especially those with low health literacy, can use and understand.

Langue : ANGLAIS