Thursday, July 2, 2020

Improving Health Literacy Will Create A Healthier Population via CT Mirror


Improving Health Literacy Will Create A Healthier Population
CT Mirror: 6.29.2020 by Mary Nketia

Warren Buffet once said “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” Buffet is an investor and business tycoon and likely referring to the risk associated with business ventures; however, this sentiment is true when talking about health knowledge. Business risks are unlikely to kill you, but lacking understanding of matters that affect your health can be fatal.


the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions

(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). We all need to take steps to improve our own health literacy, that of our loved ones and that of the population as a whole.

Individuals with low health literacy may have difficulty locating providers and services, filling out complex health forms, sharing their medical history with providers, seeking preventive health care, knowing the connection between risky behaviors and health, managing chronic health conditions and understanding directions on medicine. (Health Resources & Services Administration).

Nearly 36 percent of adults in the U.S. have low health literacy, with a higher number among lower-income Americans eligible for Medicaid. This may appear to be a problem for only the individuals affected, but everyone should care about health literacy. Low health literacy has a large economic impact – those with low health literacy experience greater health care use and costs compared to those with proficient health literacy.

In 2018 the U.S. spent $3.6 trillion or $11,172 per person on healthcare. The estimated cost of low health literacy to the U.S. economy is between $106 billion to $238 billion annually.

So, what can we do to improve health literacy? It is first important to recognize health literacy as a systems issue, which reflects how complex the presentation of health information is as well as how difficult the healthcare system can be to understand.

The educational system can prepare students at all levels to be competent consumers of healthcare. This will benefit the students in the future, and it can also benefit their parents or grandparents who may have low levels of health literacy. Providing students with trusted sources of information will empower them to make knowledgeable healthcare decisions.

Funding should be allocated for adult education about the healthcare system and materials developed about preventative health for all reading levels. Some educational materials are currently available, but an assessment of health literacy and the dispersing of materials based on level will be more effective.

The healthcare system should increase the availability and use of nurse navigators, especially for patients with very low levels of health literacy. Nurse navigators advocate for patients by helping translate complex medical information into language they can understand and apply, and make the overwhelming more manageableREAD MORE ➤➤

Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 12
Reading Level: difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old
(Twelfth graders)


Health
Quick Guide to Health Literacy and Older Adults, US Dept of Health & Human Services

2019: Health Literacy in the 50 States, Health IQ (an Insurance Co.)
2018: How Health Literacy Got Started, Helen Osborne
2017: Hidden Cost of Healthcare System Complexity, Accenture
2015: Health Literacy & Patient Engagement, 12th Annual Report, US HHS Sep 2015
2011: Health Literacy Interventions Outcomes: Updated Systematic Rvw, AHRQ
2010: Health Literacy, NNLM
2010: Health Literacy: Accurate Accessible Actionable Health Info. for All, CDC
2009: Reaching America’s Health Potential Among Adults, RWJ Foundation
2009: Low Health Literacy, NAAL 2003
2004: Literacy and Health in America, ETS


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