Health Literacy Paper

What does it mean to be “health literate?” Someone who is health literate is able to “obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and use such information and services in ways that promote his or her health and wellness.” Health literacy is very important to a person because it can prevent them from becoming unhealthy but a person can also use their health literacy to influence other people. A person’s health literacy can become better and stronger as they grow older because they learn new things and become more experienced with types of health problems.

Many health-related documents are written at a college level and hold a large amount of text in small print and complex terminology. A number of studies have shown that those with poor literacy skills have complication understanding written information, including medication dosage instructions and warning labels; discharge instructions; consent forms for treatment etc. The lack of ability to read and comprehend such things can prevent clinicians from attaining an accurate medical history. It can also influence your patients ability to understand medical advice, take medication correctly and safely, participate in self-care behaviors, and make knowledgeable decisions about their health care. These actions contribute to patient outcomes and practice

Shedding light on how health literacy and patient empowerment impacts medication adherence has profound implications for further research, the clinical practice as well as for health policy making. Let me briefly outline some of the potential contributions of the outcomes of this research project in the next

Health literacy can be estimated through, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and the Test of Functional Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA). Even so, Andrew pleasant and Shyama Kuruvilla, 2008, argues that none of these make sense of an appropriate measurement of health literacy. The Test of Functional literacy in adults only concentrates on individual capacity to read the medical information on some medical slips and labels. Rather than there are lots of research works done on the topic of health literacy and its approach in public health, which provides best examples along with good information and major skills.

Nearly half of all 90 million American adults have problems understanding and using health information, and there is a higher percentage of hospitalizations and use of emergency departments among patients with deficits in health literacy (Wojciechowski & Cichowski, 2007). Health literacy is defined as the ability to which individuals are capable of obtaining, processing, and understanding basic information and needs to make appropriate decisions about their health.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), health literacy affects each and every one of us every time we interact with any piece of health information. The last national survey administered to measure health literacy was done in 2003 via the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, and they measured individuals’ health literacy within three domains: clinical, prevention, and navigation of the health care system. This is important, because it reflects Singleton and Krause’s (2011) report that health literacy affects more than just an individual’s ability to understand their physician. In order to perform well in each domain, respondents would need to familiarity with basic health vocabulary, be able to read common health information such as a prescription drug bottle, and would need to understand how the health system works (insurance, making appointments, etc.). The results of the 2003 survey showed that 53% of adults have intermediate health literacy, 12% have proficient health literacy, but 36% (77 million) have basic health literacy. The remaining 5% did not speak English (National Assessment of Adult

Health is the combination of your physical, mental/emotional, and social well being. Your personal level of health affects everything about you. It affects how you look, how you feel, even how you act. It is important to be aware that health is not a state of being. Being healthy does not mean that you will never be sick. Instead, being healthy means being the best you can be at any given time. It is important to understand health information that can be useful to you, and others.

A medication prescription is typically a written order that includes detailed features and instruction about the patient, medication dose and formula, route and frequency of administration, among other consideration (Aronson, 2009). A clinically meaningful and recognized definition of a prescribing error is one that “occurs when, as a result of a prescribing decision or prescription writing process, there is an unintentional significant (1) reduction in the probability of treatment being timely and effective or (2) increase in the risk of harm when compared with generally accepted practice” (Dean, Barber & Schachter, 2000, p. 235). Closely related to prescribing, transcribing errors are often viewed as “errors in the process of interpreting, verifying and transcribing of medication orders” (Van Doormal et al., 2009, p. 23).

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

“The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention defines a medication error as "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer...related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use” ("10 Medication Errors . . . and How You Can Prevent Them”). Medication errors account for approximately 1 out of 131 outpatient and 1 out of 854 inpatient deaths ("10 Medication Errors . . . and How You Can Prevent Them”). Although these medication errors have started to become recognized, the problem continues to persist.

From the definition of health literacy provided in the case study, it is clear that the concept of health literacy encompasses assisting the public to obtain, process, and develop an in-depth understanding of basic health information and services that are often required to assist these individuals in making correct health decisions (CDC, n.d.). Health literacy is not limited to the issues of communication between healthcare professionals and patients, medication management, and informed consent; rather, its scope has expanded to include issues of communication skills, the level of complexity of health information, the cultural and linguistic appropriateness of the health information provided, and the public health infrastructure available to assist people in seeking healthy behaviors (CDC, n.d.). Public health literacy is an important issue that needs to be addressed to ensure optimal overall

With an increase in the number of new prescriptions hitting the market and the growing number of patients taking prescription medications, patient health literacy becomes a rising problem. Approximately ninety percent of Americans currently take prescription or over-the-counter medications; however, patients that have an inadequate health literacy level are more likely misinterpret or suffer adverse drug effects due to a lack of understanding. (7) These possible adverse drug effects could also potentially increase the number of hospitalizations, thus raising health care costs. One study suggested that over half of the documented emergency department visits could have been avoided had the patient been more health literate. (4) If the patients involved would have been better educated about the side effects, contraindications, and drug interactions by their pharmacist or primary care provider, then emergency room visits and/or hospital admittance could have been prevented.

Health literacy is the knowledge of basic health information and services that allows individuals to make good health decisions. Both the individual and the professional are responsible for one’s health literacy. That is why it is important that the government continues to enforce licensures across health professions, so that patients receive the best of instruction. In my expected career, speech language pathology, health literacy plays an important role because it is through effective communication skills that individuals make appropriate health decisions. I want to dedicate my life to being an SLP, so that patients with communication disorders can be health literate and their overall health improve.

The ability to obtain, comprehend, process, and communicate health information in an effort to make health decisions is the definition of health literacy. The literacy rate in the United States is staggering. Fifty percent of adults cannot read at an eighth-grade level (Literacy Project, 2017). Nurses may not be aware of the enormity of this problem because, more than likely, their social contacts consist of friends and family who are educated. In today’s climate of managed care, illiteracy can have devastating effects, because patients have a greater responsibility for

An understanding of literacy, and health literacy is crucial to understand their impact on client health outcomes. Further, a nurse’s ability to better educate clients lies in his or her understanding of these terms. Literacy is a multilayered, dynamic and complex topic; however, in short literacy is a set of skills including reading, writing & oral skills, numeracy skills, and skills that enable us to acquire knowledge and information (Keefe & Copeland, 2011). Literacy can be understood through various theoretical lenses. Keefe & Copeland also highlight five principles we must keep in mind when thinking about literacy (2011). Firstly, all people are capable of acquiring literacy, however methods of acquiring literacy vary greatly. Literacy is also a human right, given its ability to shape human experience Literacy also serves as a crucial empowerment tool. Social interaction also contributes to literacy; it is developed through human ability to build relationships. Lastly, literacy is not the responsibility of an individual alone. Community, and human interaction nurture literacy as well.