Understanding Literacy, And Health Literacy

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

In addition to basic literacy skills, health literacy needs knowledge of health topics. People with low health literacy often don’t have

The concept of health literacy was first originated in early years and it was recognised as an autonomous research field in 1990s (Andrew pleasant and Shyama Kuruvilla, 2008). The

Health literacy is both a consumer and public healthcare issue. As a health care provider, it is not only my responsibility to ensure that you understand your health and what is going on

Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed to make appropriate decisions regarding their health (Sherwood & Barnsteiner, 2012). The manner and tone in which healthcare providers explain information to patients and their families can determine whether they experience positive health outcomes, and/or if they choose to be compliant with the lifestyle changes and interventions provided to them. Healthcare providers need to be mindful when discussing health matters with patients and families; they need to realize that not every person understands the complex medical languages used, and at times, these misunderstandings can lead to poor patient outcomes, including death.

By definition, health literacy is the “capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services. It is the capacity to make appropriate health care decisions and navigate the healthcare system” (Frasier 10.17.14). Though it is a first world country, thousands of people right here in America remain vulnerable to decreased health literacy. Among this group of people is an incredibly large

Currently, in the United States, most non-health related individuals will have trouble have trouble understanding his or her medications or medical diagnoses. This becomes the matter of health literacy or rather a lack of health literacy, which is described 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" (Hernandez 2009). The United Sates has a health care systems rely on printed materials to convey directions and instructions related to procedures, medicines, side effects, and self-care. This would not be an issue if it was not for the fact that materials are often written at readability levels that exceed the reading

Health literacy is how patients and people function in health care settings. Therefore, for it to be efficient it is contingent of the individual’s characteristics and the health care system in which they operate. Literacy varies depending on treatment, the medical issue faced, the medical provider, and even the system of government. The reason why health literacy is a trending topic of interest in research is because it is “described as the currency for improving the quality of health and health care in America” (Adams, 2003). So

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

Health literacy has seventeen definitions instead of one because there are inconsistencies with the world of the internet and social media (Nelson & Staggers, 2018). The Institution of Medicine and the World Health Organization definitions focus “on an individual’s skill in obtaining and using the health information and services necessary to make appropriate health decisions” (Nelson & Staggers, 2018, p. 14). The health literacy level for patient handouts available on the internet or given to patients should be no higher than sixth grade, so it can be understood. Although, many health literacy levels are above sixth grade, which prevents patients from understanding and using the information to maintain their health. Health literacy levels

When I was younger, doctor’s offices were a big part of my life. One appointment, I walked into the office, of course with my mother because of my father’s low attention span, and chose the seat that had the fewest people surrounding it. My mom grabbed a magazine and we would discuss what was going on in the news, or in our lives. I could hear my heart beating up until the nurse called my name, so I did not listen to much of what my mother was talking about. I would just stare at the pale brown walls, and wish I could just disappear in the lifelessness of it all. I always felt a rush as the nurse called my name. I would walk over and the nurse would begin to make small talk, which I was never interested in having. I just wanted to get out of there. Each time I knew I was going to hear something I didn’t want to. Whether I had to start a new medication, or have

Literacy is a tremendously important part of our daily lives. Literacy is simply knowledge, and without knowledge, we cannot expect to survive. Knowledge is the information or skills that one knows and uses to apply to their daily life and it is the most important part of health literacy. The provision of health information promotes promising healthcare decision making. Without efficient health literacy, one is not capable of understanding even the basics of health information to make adequate health decisions.

It can be a challenge to make a change in the health literacy of our patients I think with time it will make a difference. Health care professionals may not see the change now but with the availability of the internet and tele health, more people are getting exposed. The main problem is getting everyone to be literate that is able to read and write at least up to high school level. This has a huge part to play in health literacy.

On October 12, 2017, Joan Morris, MSHA, MBA, RN, spoke with LEND trainees about Health Literacy. Joan defined health literacy as, “the ability to read, understand and act on health care information”. Many influences impact health literacy, including environmental factors such as socioeconomic status, occupation, employment, income, social support, media, language, and culture, in addition to a person’s physical qualities like age, gender, vision, hearing, verbal ability, memory, reasoning, physical abilities, social skills, and metacognitive skills (Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models).

Health literacy is a concept in the field of health promotion that is given considerable attention in order to change and improve health behaviour. It is a key outcome from health education. However, this misses much of the deeper meaning and purpose of health literacy for people and what health literacy particularly encompasses. According to who, “Health literacy builds on the idea that both health and literacy are critical resources for everyday living (pg. 4). Health literacy has three dimensions relating to the curriculum area of Health and Physical Education. The three key approaches to health literacy are functional, interactive and critical. Functional health literacy refers to “the basic skills in reading and writing that are necessary