Understanding shared decision-making among patients with limited health literacy: a realist review protocol.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Over a quarter of adults in Europe have limited health literacy (LHL). LHL hampers their ability to find, understand, and implement medical information, resulting in poorer health outcomes. Shared decision-making (SDM), a process that enhances communication and personalised care and encourages patient involvement, can mitigate the challenges individuals with LHL face. However, healthcare providers often struggle to recognise and effectively engage these patients in SDM. This realist review aims to understand how, why, for whom, and under what circumstances SDM does or does not work for patients with LHL.

Methods

Realist research provides a framework to understand how and why interventions work in specific contexts by uncovering underlying mechanisms. A realist app

SUBMITTER: de Graef N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12750667 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature