Objective  To construct an evaluation index system of health literacy for patients with chronic diseases with Delphi method and to provide references for improving the efficiency of chronic disease management.

  Methods  Using Delphi expert consulting method, an evaluation index system of health literacy for patients with chronic diseases was constructed and using Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, the weight coefficients of the indexes at all levels were calculated.

  Results  The positive coefficients of the two rounds of expert consultation were 90.0 % and 96.3 % and the expert coefficients were 0.802 5 and 0.868 9, respectively. The coordination coefficient of importance, feasibility, and sensitivity of the expert opinion in the first round consultation were 0.336 5, 0.365 3, and 0.268 9 and those in the second round were 0.451 8, 0.4618, and 0.441 9, respectively, with statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05); the results suggested a good coordination of the experts’ opinions. The evaluation index system of health literacy for patients with chronic diseases was established after the two rounds of expert consultation and the system included 4 indicators of first level and 42 of secondary level; the weight values for importance, feasibility, and sensitivity of the indicator system were 0.386, 0.325, and 0.289, respectively.

  Conclusion  The established evaluation index system of health literacy for chronic disease patients is of objectivity, reliability, and applicability and could be used for health literacy assessment in the patients with chronic diseases.