Improved Health Literacy Help Patients Make Informed Medical Decisions

A basic definition for health literacy is the ability to comprehend medical information and make the right health choices based on this information. The importance of health literacy has recently come into the spotlight as physicians and health advocates realize how essential it is for patients to know how to manage their medical conditions at home and look for the signs of serious health problems.

Significance of Health Literacy
Research has found health literacy affects a person’s ability to make the appropriate health decisions. When individuals have the ability to understand their healthcare, they are more likely to take medications properly, follow preventative care measures and recognize symptoms of a medical condition. Without health literacy, the use of emergency medical interventions and mortality rates are significantly higher. In a 2002 study published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Physicians, researchers found that low literacy levels in patients increased the incidences of cancer, quality level of life after diagnosis and mortality rates. Diabetes patients with a lower literacy level have a higher level of difficulty in regards to controlling their blood glucose. For asthma patients who do not know how to properly use their inhalers, they are more prone to emergency room visits for asthma attacks. Heart disease patients may not comprehend the importance of making lifestyle changes to manage their hypertension.



Individuals at Risk
Certain populations are at risk for not being able to properly process health information. According to the Institute of Medicine, the groups that have been classified as having the highest potential to face health literacy challenges include the elderly, minorities, immigrants, low income individuals and people who are facing chronic medical or psychological conditions. The reasons these patients are at risk are they have reduced literacy skills due to a lack of education, learning disabilities, cognitive disorders or declined reading levels.

Challenges of Managing Healthcare
Taking care of a person’s health is a multi-faceted task. Within health care systems, patients are expected to possess the ability to understand the information provided by their healthcare professional while also giving their consent to receive medical care. Patients must possess writing skills, reading capabilities, oral skills and numerical understanding for effective medical management. The patient may be required to copy down instructions provided by a physician, read procedure instructions, verbalize questions related to their healthcare and understand medication doses and instructions. These skills are not possessed by all patients within healthcare systems. According to the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted in 2003, only twelve percent of adults in the United States are proficient enough to understand and use medical information accurately. In the survey, about a third of the respondents fell within the basic or below basic health literacy groups. These groups may lack the proficiency to understand important prescription label warnings.

Tools for Improved Health Literacy
Until changes are made in the sector of healthcare systems, patients can access technological tools to improve their understanding of medical information. The goal of these tools is to simplify the language used in describing health information. Key features of simple language texts is the most important points come at the beginning of the document, complex ideas are broken down into simpler sections, the text has high readability with difficult terms defined within the document and an active voice used throughout. Downloadable health literacy applications on mobile device are one example of a tool patients can use to improve their understanding of their medical conditions and prescription drugs. Electronic health records are also another significant tool for patients who need to improve health literacy. With access to an electronic health record, patients have the ability to view visit summaries, receive before and after care instructions, get check-up reminders and access links to relevant information customized based on the current health state of the patient.



Additional Help
If the patient does not have access to mobile applications or electronic health records, he can seek help from organizations that work to improve adult literacy. Adult basic education and ESL courses are helpful for individuals looking to better understand health terms. Healthcare systems, public libraries and senior citizen centers are examples of facilities that are likely to offer adult literacy tools such as screenings and basic instruction.