Improving health literacy requires dual efforts
Health professionals, consumers both have a part to play
Poor health literacy, especially among older people, is all too prevalent, as documented in a post last week. Efforts to improve health literacy among older adults could pay off in a healthier older population.
Improving health literacy is important enough that a few years ago the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) created a National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. Its two core principles were that:
All people have the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions.
Health services should be delivered in ways that are easy to understand and that improve health, longevity, and quality of life.
The ODPHP also developed a health literacy model that calls for health care providers to:
Approach all patients as if they are at risk of not understanding health information.
Employ a range of strategies for clear communication.
Confirm that patients understand what providers are saying.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), for its part, also developed a health-literacy plan focused on the idea that health professionals should make information accurate, accessible, and actionable for those in their care.
The federal agencies’ efforts point out something important: improving health literacy starts with how health professionals and organizations communicate with their patients.
But it’s not all on the doctors, nurses, and other providers. Health consumers have a role to play as well, including advocating for health professionals to provide enough clarity in their instructions.
What follows are suggestions from government agencies and other health organizations about both sides of that equation.
What medical professionals should do
The ODPHP (the agency that developed the action plan to improve health literacy) offers a toolkit for health-care providers who want to improve their skills at helping their patients become more health-literate. It has suggestions such as making the content of health communication easier to understand and involving the people who need the information in creating the materials that will be shared.
Not to be outdone, the CDC’s own toolkit also offers ideas for improving communication with health consumers.
The nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement has several suggestions for how medical professionals can help patients understand health information better. They include:
Ask patients to explain back in their own words what they were just told as a check on how well they understood it.
Similarly, when teaching someone how to use a device or perform a task have them demonstrate its correct use on the spot.
Use simple language that avoids medical terminology or jargon to be as clear as possible and minimize the risk of misunderstanding. For example, say things like “harmful” instead of “adverse,” or “fats” instead of “lipids.”
Ask open-ended questions that help determine how well a patient understands what they’re getting in writing, including prescription labels.
Speak more slowly when providing instructions. But also be respectful and clear without being patronizing.
What health consumers should do
On the patient or health-consumer side, Summit Health, a national network of physicians, offers tips such as:
Have a plan for every provider visit. Prioritize what you want to talk about and learn.
Ask questions if anything is unclear. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for an explanation of something you don’t understand. Repeat back what you think you just heard and ask for confirmation or clarification.
Request information in plain language. Ask for materials such as handouts, photos, diagrams, or videos that will help your understanding.
Bring a friend or family member to the visit, if possible. This person can take notes so you can concentrate on simply listening and serve as a double-check on what was said.
Be careful about what you believe from TV, websites, and social media. There’s no shortage of health information out there, but a lot of it is incomplete, conflicting, and inaccurate.
Provide feedback to the health providers. Take advantage of opportunities to share your opinion through things such as patient surveys about how organizations can improve their health literacy efforts.
Baylor University Medical School adds a few other things to do in the doctor’s office:
Bring accurate and complete information about your health history, including any medications you are taking (both prescription and over-the-counter) to all doctor visits.
Be truthful about what you have or haven’t been doing so the professional can correctly understand the situation and offer correct help.
These ideas show that improving health literacy is a two-way street. It requires action by medical professionals (and the organizations that employ them) to communicate more clearly, coupled with efforts by consumers to build their own knowledge and advocate for themselves to make sure they fully understand the health information coming to them.