Background and Objective: Healthcare organizations must integrate patient-centered care elements and health literacy into their operational processes to evolve into Health-Literate Healthcare Organizations (HLHOs). The present study aimed to determine the status of the components of health-literate organizations in selected hospitals in Tehran.

Materials & Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in 2022 across 12 teaching hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. A total of 699 healthcare providers in managerial positions participated in the study. This study was conducted using a proportional cluster sampling method; the contribution of each center was first determined based on the number of beds, and subsequently, a convenience sampling approach was employed to include all managers within each center. Data regarding demographic variables and HLHO attributes were collected using the valid and reliable MAHLO-76 questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using central tendency and dispersion indices, skewness and kurtosis tests, one-way ANOVA, and the Scheffé post-hoc test via SPSS version 16.

Results: The results of the assessment of the dimensions of health literacy hospitals in the 12 educational and medical centers studied showed the overall status of these organizations at an average level (56.83 ± 7.90). In the distributional analysis, the majority of centers (9 cases) were at an average level and a minority of them (3 cases) were at a "good" level. The obvious differences in the scores obtained by the hospitals, from the lowest score of 53.23 ± 7.58 to the highest score of 66.03 ± 7.51, indicate the existence of significant performance gaps in the acceptance of organizational health literacy concepts in these centers.

Conclusion: Despite their educational infrastructures, healthcare centers such as hospitals face structural challenges in transitioning toward health-literate organizations. Therefore, shifting toward patient-centered strategies, prioritizing communication-based interventions, and revising service protocols are essential to reduce barriers to access and achieve health equity.

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