To construct and validate a theory-driven intervention plan for improving the health literacy of urinary system stone patients, with dual aims of enhancing disease-specific knowledge acquisition and translating literacy into sustainable self-management behaviors, thereby providing an evidence-based model for secondary prevention of stone recurrence[1].

A single-center randomized controlled trial was conducted using convenience sampling. Participants included 120 calcium oxalate stone patients (Stone size: 5-15mm) hospitalized in the urology department from January 2024 to December 2024, randomized via computer-generated sequence into intervention (n=60) and control (n=60) groups. The control group received routine dietary guidance and medication education, while the intervention group underwent a 4-week multimodal program comprising: (1) multidisciplinary team consultations (urologist, dietitian, behavioral therapist), (2) interactive health literacy modules adapted from Nutbeam's competency framework[2], and (3) personalized follow-up via mobile health platform. Validated instruments – including the Chinese Health Literacy Scale for Chronic Disease (HLSCD) and Stone-Specific Self-Management Questionnaire (SSSMQ) – were administered at baseline and 1-month post-intervention.

The intervention group demonstrated superior outcomes across all metrics: health literacy scores increased by 29.8% (28.7±3.2 vs 22.1±4.5, P=0.001), stone prevention knowledge retention reached 89.4% (vs 73.6% controls, P=0.003), and self-management capacity showed clinically meaningful improvement (SSSMQ: 4.3±0.7 vs 3.1±0.9, P<0.01). Quality of life (SF-36 physical component) improved by 20.4% (78.5±6.8 vs 65.2±7.4, P=0.002), exceeding minimal clinically important difference thresholds.

These robust improvements corroborate Smith et al.'s systematic review findings[3], confirming that literacy-focused interventions can break the "knowledge-practice gap" in stone management. The integration of behavioral support and digital follow-up likely enhanced intervention fidelity, addressing critical barriers identified in previous studies.

This study pioneers a scalable health literacy intervention model tailored for urinary stone populations. Implementation requires institutional commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration and digital health infrastructure. Future research should examine cost-effectiveness and long-term impacts on stone recurrence rates across diverse healthcare settings.

World Health Organization. Health literacy: the solid facts [R]. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2013.
Nutbeam D. The evolving concept of health literacy[J]. Social Science & Medicine, 2008, 67(12): 2072-2078.
Smith JA, et al. Interventions to improve self-management in urinary stone patients: a systematic review[J]. Urology, 2019, 134: 12-18.