Disagreement between patients' and general practitioners' estimates of patient health literacy increases from the top to the bottom of the social ladder: a cross-sectional study in the Paris area.

This article examines the disagreement between general practitioners (GPs) and their patients regarding patients' health literacy (HL)—defined as the cognitive and social skills enabling individuals to access, understand, and use health information—and how this disagreement varies by patients' socioeconomic position. Analyzing data from 292 adult patients and 15 GPs in the Paris-Saclay University network, the study found that patients generally rated their own HL higher than their doctors did, with the discrepancy increasing significantly among patients lower on the social ladder based on occupation, education, and financial situation. The odds of disagreement were over three times higher for patients in lower socioeconomic groups compared to those in higher groups. The findings suggest that such socially differentiated misperceptions may contribute to persistent health disparities, highlighting the need for improved GP communication skills and better identification of patients' HL levels to support equitable healthcare.