Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy
The communication at health care is an essential element which aids professionals and customers in providing and taking services. The interpersonal or mass communication is vital for an individual in the health care department. Skills and abilities of a person or team helps in resolving health issues of customers. Therefore, health literacy plays an important role in building skills and abilities of workers at health care. Thus, the essay encompasses the various importance of health literacy and communication which will shape the future of an health care organization. Health literacy interlink individuals as well as there health care environment so as to perform better. Low health literacy is a common problem in Australia, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 59% of Australians aged 15-74 do not have the adequate health literacy skills needed to effectively access health services and manage their life’s (Communicating with patients: improving health literacy and outcomes, 2017).Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy
Health communication and literacy helps organizations to control decision making and practice empowerment (Gazmararian and et.al., 2012). It makes an individual capable enough to process and understand the basic health amenities at a health care. Health literacy is a newer phenomenon which is basically low in developing countries and needs to be evolved so as to provide better health facilities. Health literacy and communication are now a days vital in any care setting so as to enhance quality of services rendered to people. Awareness of health literacy is rapidly increasing impacting the health services provided by professionals. People are actively taking part in knowing about health aspects with growing education and literacy rate all over the world.
Both communication and literacy are vital in a health care department and their effectiveness brings out better health outcomes. Communication bing physicians and health professionals to their patients as very crucial data about health needs to be given in a correct manner to the respective patient (Riley, Cloonan and Rogan, 2008). Doctors are responsible for keeping confidentiality of information related to their patients. For instance, doctors communicate with child patient in a friendly and cordial manner thereby providing them a soothing environment. Thus, the importance of effective communication is vital in a health care organization.Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy
They are crucial in building up good and positive health relation with the respected patients thereby meeting their needs and desires (Lorenzen, Melby and Earles, 2008). It helps in taking and giving information to people who are taking the health care services by health professionals. These communications could be in the form of face to face, in group, formal, informal or written communication whichever is suitable at the point of time. Though generally a formal type of communication is done in a health care organization as such a communication creates a healthy environment where patients feel comfortable as respect is shown by the doctors or physicians. Another kind of communication that is written communication is basic in a health care organization as it helps in keeping records and reports for a day. For such a communication education play a major role and thus calls for health literacy. It has a vital impact on the individual as they want to know about their own health status and medical condition.
A person having low health literacy my have week communication skills and abilities to understand his or her doctors view point regarding their health status (Lorenzen, Melby and Earles, 2008). People with low knowledge about health may end up leading a difficult and vulnerable life as they are unaware about particular diseases which might be dangerous due to lack of health consciousness. Future interventions should be expanded to include methods for improving popular health literacy through school-based health education directed at children and adolescents as well as through more general efforts directed at adults. Improved education about health could enhance the ability and motivation of individuals to solve personal and public health problems by enabling them to apply skills in response to various health problems arising throughout life.Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy
On the other hand, health literacy has also a major role which is needed to have a positive communication in a care setting organization (Gazmararian and et.al., 2012). It is known as the people with low level knowledge about health spend a huge amounts on vaccination and treatments of diseases and injuries. A person with the ability to read and understand the basic level health issues have the capacity to make use of health care services, and they can manage their health by lifestyle modification and by increasing their living standards at an individual and community level. Appropriate knowledge about health helps people to take better decision regarding their own health status leading a healthy and happy lifestyle (Casida, 2008).Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy
Impact of low health literacy
- Higher rate of visiting hospitals
- Extra use of health services implies extra expenses
- High rate of mortality and worse health conditions (Lorenzen, Melby and Earles, 2008)
- More prone to diseases especially by elders and children
- Enhances overall expenditure of government
- Low level lifestyle and less knowledge
- No knowledge about their own health
- High rate of depression issue and higher risk of overall health
There are ways to promote health literacy among people and government are initializing programs to help people educate on health services (Riley, Cloonan and Rogan, 2008). Every government is providing health awareness programs regarding dangerous diseases and flu’s which people needs to incorporate in their daily life thereby raising life expectancy especially of poor people. Low knowledge of health issues makes people and patients uncomfortable to talk about it from their respected physicians or doctors and thus end up with less information and ill treatment (Kountz, 2009). Appropriate Communication And Health Literacy