October is National Health Literacy Month. The mission is to create a more equitable world where everyone can access high-quality care and achieve positive health outcomes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health literacy is important for everyone because, at some point in our lives, we will all need to find, understand, and use health information and services. Adequate levels of health literacy can help us maintain good health, access early disease detection, and better manage health problems when they arise.
Below are five things to know about Health Literacy:
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- According to the CDC, when organizations or individuals provide health information that is too difficult to understand, a health literacy problem is created. When patients are expected to figure out health services with unfamiliar or confusing instructions the problem is compounded.
- Health information can often be too difficult for the average patient to understand. Adults can face low health literacy when they aren’t familiar with medical terms or don’t understand the nuances of how their bodies function.
- Low health literacy can result from a patient having to interpret statistics and evaluate risks and benefits that affect their health and safety. This can be particularly difficult if they are diagnosed with a serious illness and feel scared or confused or have health conditions that require complicated self-care.
- Ask Me 3® is an educational program that encourages patients
and their families to ask three specific questions of their providers to help
them better understand their health conditions and the steps they need to take to maintain their health. - There are a range of solutions that health care professionals can implement to help identify low or concerning levels of health literacy. Improving health care provider awareness by employing teach-back methodologies can also be effective. When asking a patient to repeat instructions they’ve just received or explain their next steps, health care teams have a better understanding of their patient’s comprehension and can respond accordingly.
For additional information, read the recent blog from Heidi Schwarzwald, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer for Signify Health Home and Community Services. To learn more about National Health Literacy Month and access resources, visit their website. For more information about Signify Health visit our website.
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