Patient Knowledge

Knowledge was strongest for physician-guided use of oral contraceptives, general recognition of PCOS as a common endocrine disorder, and awareness that acne is more common in PCOS due to elevated androgens. Higher health literacy is associated with healthy eating, regular physical activity, smoking cessation, better treatment adherence, and more effective communication with healthcare professionals. eHealth literacy functions as a partial, not full, mediator between patient empowerment and continuity of care needs. The near-unity negative correlation between eHealth literacy and continuity of care needs (r = −0.976) was the strongest bivariate relationship in the study. Knowledge scores differed significantly by employment status, education, income, health insurance type, and duration since PCOS diagnosis. While COPD patients in the study could access digital health information, their capacity to critically evaluate and effectively apply it remained limited. Definitional inconsistency is a persistent challenge in the health literacy field, with over 250 different definitions identified as of 2016. The mean knowledge score was 10.63 out of 30, indicating inadequate knowledge. PCOS…