Development and Initial Psychometric Validation of the Acute Pancreatitis Health Literacy Scale.

Background and Purpose: Health literacy among acute pancreatitis patients is understudied due to the lack of specific assessments. This study aimed to develop and validate the Acute Pancreatitis Health Literacy Scale (APHLS). Methods: A two-phase design was used for APHLS development and initial psychometric validation. Item generation was achieved through cognitive interviews and a Delphi survey, ensuring content relevance and expert consensus. Validity was assessed using content, construct, discriminant, and known-group analyses, while reliability was evaluated through Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability, and precision measures. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to determine the optimal cutoff values for the tool. Results: The final 20-item APHLS showed strong content validity, a three-factor structure confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, good internal consistency (α = .91), and excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .955). Conclusion: The APHLS is reliable, valid, and practical for assessing health literacy in acute pancreatitis patients and supporting educational interventions.