Zdravotná gramotnosť v dimenziách navigácie v systéme zdravotnej starostlivosti

Objectives: The aim of the research was to determine the level of navigation in the system in the health care system as one of the domains of health literacy in patients with arterial hypertension. The research was carried out within the framework of the KEGA project No. 010KU-4/2022 Implementation of elements of support for health literacy of the adult population into education in the field of nursing. Material and methods: The research group consisted of 391 respondents with arterial hypertension. The respondents were aged from 20 to 88 years, the average age of the respondents was 53.41 years. The research group included 207 (52.94%) women and 184 (47.06%) men. Data collection was carried out using the Slovak version of the standardized measurement tool Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) based on the HLQ™ license agreement. Results: Healthcare system navigation is the seventh of the nine domains of the HLQ and is examined by six items. We recorded a mean score of 3.3 out of a possible 5 for respondents. We further examined the influence of respondents’ age, gender, education, and place of residence on healthcare system navigation. Using an ANOVA test at a significance level of 0.05, we found that age is a significant factor in healthcare system navigation. Gender does not affect the ability to navigate the healthcare system, as verified by a t-test of two means with equal variances. An ANOVA test at a significance level of 0.05 was used to examine the influence of education. Based on the F and Fcrit values, we recommend concluding that education has a significant influence on healthcare system navigation. Place of residence also affects the ability to navigate this area, as verified by a t-test of two means with unequal variances. Our findings show that city dwellers are better versed in the healthcare system than people living in the countryside. Conclusion: Navigating the healthcare system is an important area in the context of both prevention and treatment. A low score on domain 7 in the HLQ assessment tool means that people at this level have no one to advise and help them on how to use the healthcare system. They also have difficulty understanding what is available in the healthcare system and what they are entitled to. Conversely, a high score on the domain indicates that people are able to find out what services they are entitled to in the healthcare system and use them. They are able to justify why it is to their advantage in the healthcare system.