Cancer Patients’ Experience of a Patient-Safe Pathway Is Associated with Health Literacy and Support from Relatives: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Introduction. The aim was to assess the impact of cancer patients’ health literacy (HL) on their experience of patient safety. Furthermore, we investigated whether support from relatives affected cancer patients’ experiences of patient safety. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaire data from the Danish National Cancer Patient Survey 2017 among Danish cancer patients (n = 5,389) and sociodemographic characteristic data from national registries. Results. A low level of HL is associated with increased patient safety errors among cancer patients regarding patient-reported adverse events and an experience of inadequate information. Results also showed increased odds of patient safety risks among patients with no support from relatives. Conclusion. Having a low level of HL or no support from relatives has a negative impact on patient safety. Focusing on improvements related to cancer patients’ HL and supportive network may increase patients experiencing a high quality and safe health care system and reduce inequalities and inequity in the cancer pathway.