This  study sought to determine the relationship between caregiver or patient health literacy and healthcare use (outpatient hospital visits, days in hospital) and to explore relationships between health literacy and adherence to tacrolimus and kidney function post-transplant.

Forty pediatric kidney transplant patients were included in the study. About 6 out of 10 patients or caregivers had an adequate level of health understanding. Families with lower health literacy had more clinic and hospital visits during the first three months and the first year after transplant. However, health literacy was not linked to how many days patients stayed in the hospital, how well they took their anti-rejection medication, or how well the transplanted kidney was working two years later.

Limited understanding of health information is common among children who receive kidney transplants and their families. It is linked to more frequent healthcare visits, especially soon after transplant. In this study, health literacy was not linked to hospital length of stay, kidney function, or medication use. Larger studies are needed to better understand these relationships and to test ways to improve communication and support families after transplant.