Health Literacy on Patients’ Rights Charter Among Users of Primary Care Health Facilities in Kiambu and Machakos Counties in Kenya

Abstract

Health literacy of patients’ rights and responsibilities is a challenge for users of primary health care facilities in many parts of Kenya. Low health literacy hinders the practice of patients’ responsibilities as described in the patients’ rights charter thereby negatively impacting health outcomes. Health literacy is associated with improved utilisation of health services leading to better health outcomes. The aim of this study was to establish the extent to which users of primary health care facilities in Kiambu and Machakos counties in Kenya have embraced health literacy as envisaged in the Patients’ Rights Charter. Specifically, the study sought to establish patient’s awareness of their rights; to establish the extent to which patients practice their responsibilities and rights in primary health care facilities; and to relate literacy to the demographic characteristic of the respondents. Health literacy of patients’ rights in the context of this study refers to the patients’ awareness of their rights and their ability to make basic health decisions concerning their rights as their responsibility. This was a descriptive cross-section study that used semi-structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data. A random sample of 422 patients from the outpatient department of four primary care health facilities was drawn. Every fifth patient who met the inclusion criteria and was willing to participate in the study was enlisted. Of the respondents enlisted, 389 (92%) complete questionnaires were analysed using SPSS version 25. Overall, majority of the respondents agreed that they were aware of their rights and they practised their responsibilities as per the Patients’ Rights Charter. The respondents’ awareness of their rights was statistically significant with regard to age (r = 0.293**, P ˂ 0.001), level of education (r =0.293**, P ˂ 0.001) and duration of health care services (r = 0.294**, P ˂ 0.001). Respondents’ practice of their responsibilities was statistically significantly related to age (r = .244**, P ˂ 0.001) and duration of receiving health care services (r = 0.342**, P ˂ 0.001). The study concludes that patient demographic characteristics like age, level of education, and the duration they had visited the health facility for services, had an influence on their health literacy based on Patients’ Rights Charter. This therefore draws the recommendation that health facilities should have a structured approach to health literacy of patient’s rights charter that targets demographic characteristics along the patients’ developmental stages through specific components of primary care health services.