Health literacy, or the capacity to understand health
information and services, make informed decisions about your health, and follow
instructions for treatment, is a serious issue contributing to health
disparities today. Even if patients with low health literacy can pay for their
doctors’ visits, they may struggle with taking the correct pill at the correct
time of day because they cannot read the directions on the prescription
bottle. They may consent to surgeries or
procedures that they do not understand. This can be as traumatic as learning
post-surgery you unknowingly consented to a procedure.
While
not all health literacy complications are as serious as having an organ removed
without a patient’s knowledge, misunderstanding health information is still a
fundamental issue in our healthcare system.
The US Department of Health identifies “[using] health communication
strategies and health information technology (IT) to improve population health
outcomes and health care quality, and to achieve health equity[1]”
as one of its main goals for 2020. As a
health educator, health literacy is an important theme in my service. The
majority of patients I serve are Hispanic, so creating bilingual promotional
flyers and class materials is a crucial step towards health literacy. However, creating materials at the
appropriate reading level for patients is also important. Often, health information pamphlets are written
at a college level. As a result, to increase health literacy, creating visual,
clear and simple materials is necessary.
For example, to explain to diabetic patients how to balance blood sugar,
we use a worksheet with a scale and sugar cube graphic. Many of the diabetic
patients that come to our education classes may have been diagnosed with the
disease for years, but still do not understand how it works and how to properly
control it. Especially with chronic
diseases like diabetes, overcoming health literacy barriers so patients can learn
to manage their diagnoses correctly is crucial to patients’ health, wellbeing
and happiness.
So
far, focusing on health literacy issues at my host site seems to be an area
where I can really have an influence. We are encouraged in Chicago Health Corps
to take pride in the small changes.
Along with that idea, my latest project is to design nutrition and
medication sheets for women coming to the center for prenatal care. While I may not be making a groundbreaking
discovery, if even one patient’s birth outcome is improved because of more
accessible nutrition and medication information, I will consider my service a
success.
For more information on
health literacy, check out these great resources:
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