The concept of health literacy has been a widely researched topic within the field of health for quite some time. The importance of health literacy is multi faceted, and an important aspect for not only an individual’s health, but for community health, and for the understanding of health professionals as well.
Health Literacy is a widely researched concept with many varied definitions. Although there is no one-accepted definition, as is with most health-related concepts, health literacy relates to the skills needed to obtain, process and understand health-related information and to them make an informed decision (Health.gov). Health literacy has a strong relationship to health status and outcomes, which, like health literacy, has been widely
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The World Health Organisation discuses the promotion and maintenance of good health in individuals to be a valid part of the concept of health literacy, as well as including the cognitive and social skills as being an important part of developing a good understanding of health literacy. As in many differing definitions of health literacy, literacy does not get very widely discussed. As Schillinger (2002) discusses, the level of literacy does not necessarily indicate an individual’s level of health literacy. Rather, the concept of health literacy draws upon individual’s knowledge that has been gained through experiences (Keleher and MacDougall). Low levels of health literacy are believed to be a better predictor of low health status than low socio-economic status, low levels of …show more content…
Those with lower levels of education or poorer economic status are at a higher risk of inadequate health literacy, and thusly are at risk to experience poor health status and health outcomes. However, those with complex care needs or illnesses may also lack the health literacy skills required to adequately live with their conditions, regardless of the level of education attained or economic status. The complexity of the health care system, and health care practices can alienate and negatively affect the health of anybody. That is why the roll of health care professionals is vital in the improvement of health and health literacy.
The use of medical jargon when discussing a health care plan with a patient is useless unless the patient has the same medical knowledge and understanding as the professional. That is why communication is such an important aspect of providing health care. For example: a nurse should communicate in lay-terms to their patient to (a) avoid the patient misunderstanding care instructions, (b) to hopefully avoid repeat admissions for the same cause, and (c) improve the health literacy and understanding for the
Health literacy has been demarcated as the measurement of the individual’s capacity to obtain, understand and process simple health information. It is needed to make satisfactory health decisions and determine services needed to treat or prevent illness. Health literacy requires knowledge from many topics, comprising the patient’s own body, appropriate conducts towards healthy results and the difficulties to understand the health system. It is influenced by many conditions such as our communication skills, age, socio-economic status, and cultural background, past experiences, educational level and mental health status (U.S. Department of
Low health literacy has negative health outcomes for many individuals impacted by the unattained health information and teaching that has not been established. Many low literacy individuals do not seek needed treatment due to the cost, unfamiliar location, and the foreign procedures that may occur. Individuals that suffer from low literacy are more prone to the development of chronic disease like diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure.
Health literacy has been a problem with our patients. The most vulnerable populations are the elderly, people with low-income levels, those with limited education, non-native speakers of English, those with chronic mental and physical health conditions, minority, and immigrant populations. Nurses have a great role in helping our patients succeed in understanding their health conditions. Nurses can be of great help in promoting health literacy. Sykes, Wills, Rowlands and Popple (2013) defined health literacy as the ability of individuals to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information. The three domains of health literacy, according to Bennett and Perkins (2012) as adapted from the (WHO) (1998) are functional health literacy, interactive literacy, and critical health literacy. Functional health literacy is basic reading and writing skills to be able to function effectively in a health context. Interactive health literacy is the used of more advanced cognitive and literacy skills to participate in health care. Critical health literacy is the ability to analyze critically and to use information to participate in action, to overcome structural barriers to health (p.14). The U.S. Department of Education published the findings of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted in 2003. The result showed that 36 % of adults have basic or below-basic skills for dealing with health material, 52 %
A big problem today in health care for many people is health literacy. Health literacy is when a person is able to understand and process medical information they are given. Having low health literacy can affect how a person understands, and uses information about their health and health services (Batterham 2016). Low health literacy rates lead to big issues in communication. Limited literacy impacts health behaviors, decisions, and ultimately outcomes. Many people have low health literacy which leads to bad health outcomes. Research shows that low literacy is linked with the lower likelihood of people being able to manage their own health conditions, and less access to health care services which can lead to poor health outcomes. There are many reasons people have low health literacy, A lack of formal education and poor reading ability aren't the only causes of low health literacy. Low health literacy is associated with a number of things like poor engagement in health services, health knowledge, and overall health status. People with low health literacy may feel ashamed and try to hide it from professionals and family members. Most health care professionals are unaware of the level of health literacy their patient has. (Greenhalgh 2015) There is a need to identify individual health literacy needs and address how to work on solutions to benefit them and whole groups of people. Differences in health literacy
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2008). America's Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Health Information. Retrieved from https://health.gov/communication/literacy/issuebrief/
Literacy is the ability to read and write, and it is based on different competency of individuals. Health literacy is a term that has been used in health literature for more than 35 years. In the United States, health literacy is used to explicate and describe the correlation between patient literacy levels and their ability to adhere with prescribed therapeutic regimens (Ad Hoc Committee on Health Literacy, 1999). Likewise, health literacy is also defined as the grade to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (IOM, 2004) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2000). Health literacy is also influenced by individual literacy skills and individual capacities (Baker, Gazmararian, Sudano & Patterson, 2000). This study is important due to the high number of patients with difficulty interpreting and understanding common prescription drug labelled instructions. It can be inferred that
The burden of chronic diseases in the United States claimed the lives of over 90 million Americans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as cited in Parker & Thorson, 2009) with 2.9 trillion dollars spent on health care expenditures in 2013 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). In the United States (U.S.) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death, which affects over 70 million people (Thom et al. 2006). The American Heart Association (AHA), estimated one in two women and two in three men are affected by CVD (AHA as cited in McKee et al., 2011). Cardiovascular Disease In the sub-minorities like the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH) population are neglected and disproportionately affected. The disproportion
Only 15-40 % of the population in the U.S. are health literate (Kirk et al. 2012) and 14% of the total adult population have below basic/functional literacy. Of the total adult population with basic health literacy skills, 14 % of the population are men and 16% of the population are
“Health Literacy” a term to define literacy in healthcare. “An estimated 90 million people in the U.S. have difficulties understanding and using health information” (Hawkins, Kantayya and Sharkey-Asner, 2010). Low health literacy poses public health risks due to groups of people not being able to adequately care for themselves and stay healthy. This paper argues the importance of literacy as it pertains to health and also explores the various types of literacy that can impact how health information is received and understood from the general public.
Background: Health literacy presents a huge challenge in the delivery of effective healthcare and quality outcomes. We evaluated association between low health literacy and healthcare utilization.
Health literacy affects everyone. In life, everyone wants to take care of their health and stay healthy. Health literacy is a very important skill needed by everyone to be able to find, understand and use health care information. Also health literacy is not only needed when someone goes to visit a doctor, but it is also very essential for taking care of you every day. Health literacy helps to protect your health by preventing the health problems from proper understanding of the disease and treatment plan. It also helps to better manage the health related problems and unexpected situations.
Lambert, V., & Keogh, D. (2014). Health literacy and its importance for effective communication. Part 2. Nursing Children & Young People, 26(4), 32-36. doi:10.7748/ncyp2014.05.26.4.32.e387http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.devry.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=2012573600&site=ehost-live
Health literacy is defined as "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions" (Michael K. Paasche-Orlow, 2010), the word Health literacy first appeared in 1974 in a paper which calls for “education standards for all grade school levels in USA” (Carolyn Speros, 2004) . Some recent works suggest that there is a relation between literacy, low health and premature deaths (Christina Zarcadoolas et al, 2005).
Healthy People 2010 define health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care related decisions.” These are the skills that people need to find the right place in the hospital, fill out insurance forms, and communicate appropriately with
Health literacy is an essential determinant of health. Health literacy is the degree in which people have the ability to obtain process and understand fundamental health services and information in order to make informed health decisions throughout different phases of life. Patients who are better educated and informed about their options and who understand the evidence behind certain methodologies may have better health outcomes. On the other hand, low health literacy leads to many health problems. In fact, it seems to be the “single biggest cause of poor health outcomes” (Kickbusch 208). Low health literacy inhibits self-advocacy in health care settings. Patients with limited literacy cannot actively participate in health-related decisions