Relationship between Health Literacy and Medication Adherence of Turkish Cancer Patients Receiving Oral Chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between health literacy and self-report medication adherence of Turkish cancer patients receiving oral chemotherapy. METHODS: The present research was a descriptive and cross-sectional study and conducted with 100 voluntary cancer patients who were admitted to the medical oncology outpatient clinic and received oral chemotherapy. The data were collected through a questionnaire form consisting of the Oral Chemotherapy Adherence Scale and the Turkish Health Literacy Scale (TSOY-32). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The results revealed that 57% of the patients were female, 35% were primary school graduates, 51% were breast cancer, and 36% took capecitabine. The mean index scores of the participants on both scales were calculated as 12.39 ± 1.51 and 73.25 ± 6.18, respectively. Overall, a positive and strong correlation was found between oral chemotherapy adherence and health literacy of the participants (r = 0.707, P = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: Medication adherence and health literacy levels among the cancer patients in Turkey are alarming so that patient-centered interventions and training are required to overcome the barriers to medication adherence.