Accuracy of the Spinal Pain Diagram Is Influenced by Patient Health Literacy in Completion of the Scoliosis Research Society-30 Questionnaire

The Scoliosis Research Society Questionnaire (SRS-30) was designed to measure health-related quality of life in scoliosis patients. Patients with low health literacy may need specific guidance when providing feedback on the SRS-30 so that reliable and valid results are collected for clinical decision making. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the health literacy demands of the Scoliosis Research Society Questionnaire (SRS-30) and to determine if health literacy best practices mitigate errors for patients with low health literacy. Readability assessment, focus groups and structured interviews were used. Results indicated that patients with low health literacy perceived health literacy best practices as helpful in completing the SRS-30 drawing. Additionally, patients with inadequate health literacy had a higher proportion of errors in pain location on the drawing (p = 0.0325) compared to patients with adequate health literacy. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 29(1):39- 42, 2020) Key words: health literacy, spine surgery, health-related quality of life, patient-reported outcomes, back pain