Table 1.
A descriptive table of the 20 health literacy tools observed to contain a laboratory component. Detailed is information pertaining to its intended use case. “General” refers to a general-purpose health literacy tool, while more specific terms such as “diabetes” or “cancer” describe the chronic disease process that characterizes the intended patient population for that health literacy tool. Also detailed is a breakdown of how many items in each health literacy tool contain a laboratory component and what competencies of laboratory literacy those items address.
| Health literacy tool abbreviation: | Health literacy tool name: | Intended population for use: | Total items: | Total laboratory items: | Laboratory literacy competencies addressed: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHLT-6 | 30-Item Cancer Health Literacy Test13 | Cancer | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| CHLT-30 | 6-Item Cancer Health Literacy Test13 | Cancer | 30 | 1 | 1 |
| CMLT-R | Cancer Message Literacy Test – Reading14 | Cancer | 23 | 2 | 1,2 |
| CMLT-L | Cancer Message Literacy Test – Listening14 | Cancer | 48 | 1 | 1,2,7 |
| C-CLAT | Cervical Cancer Literacy Assessment Tool15 | Cancer | 16 | 6 | 2,4 |
| CHAS | Comprehensive Health Activities Scale16 | General | 45 | 1 | 1,2 |
| CAHPS | Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems17 | General | 89 | 4 | 2 |
| DNT-14 | Diabetes Numeracy Test for Adolescents18 | Diabetes | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| DNT-15 | Diabetes Numeracy Test Short Form19 | Diabetes | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| DNT-43 | Diabetes Numeracy Test19 | Diabetes | 43 | 2 | 1 |
| HAS-A | Health Literacy Assessment Scale for Adolescents20 | General | 15 | 1 | 1,2 |
| Health LiTT | Health Literacy Assessment using Talking Touchscreen Technology21 | General | 82 | 6 | 1,2,5,6,7 |
| HELIA | Health Literacy Instrument for Adults22 | General | 33 | 3 | 3,8 |
| HLSI | Health Literacy Skills Instrument23 | General | 25 | 3 | 1 |
| HLSI-10 | Health Literacy Skills Instrument - Short Form24 | General | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| HIV-HL | HIV-Related Health Literacy Scale25 | HIV | 25 | 1 | 2 |
| K-TUT | Kidney Transplant Understanding Tool26 | Kidney Disease | 69 | 3 | 2,4 |
| S-NUMi | Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument (Short version)27 | General | 8 | 2 | 1,2,5 |
| NUMi | Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument28 | General | 20 | 2 | 1,2,5 |
| WELLS | Water Environmental Literacy Level Scale29 | Environmental Health | 6 | 6 | 1 |
1 = Interpretation of a lab result.
2 = Understanding why a certain lab test was ordered.
3 = Understanding patient instructions for a lab test.
4 = Understanding when a lab test is necessary or required.
5 = Understanding lab test limitations.
6 = Ability to obtain a copy of one's test results.
7 = Ability to identify changes in numerical values.
8 = Ability to supplement lab test knowledge gaps with external resources.