NURS 6401 week 11 Assignment Paper
Improving Health Literacy
According to a fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. has a health literacy problem. Citing statistics from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, the source revealed that just 12 percent of American adults possess health literacy levels that can be described as competent. Given that a poor understanding of health and health-related issues can lead to higher rates of illness and poor self-care, it is in the best interest of the public for healthcare providers to introduce strategies that can help improve health literacy levels among patient populations. This article will take a look at some of the most effective approaches to this problem.
A closer look at health literacy
As detailed by the World Health Organization, health literacy refers to an individual’s ability to understand basic concepts as they pertain to issues of health and healthcare. For example, someone with a high level of health literacy will understand the connection between smoking and the risk of certain cancers. They may also be able to recognize basic symptoms of chronic diseases. Such information is empowering, as not only does it allow individuals to make healthier choices with regard to their lifestyles, but it also means that they will be faster to access care when it is needed. WHO noted, however, that health literacy refers to more than just the cognitive ability to understand health-related issues. It also relates to the notion of access to information. For example, those who are unable to access health-based information, either online, on paper or through visits with health care professionals, will likely experience lower health literacy levels.
Tips for healthcare professionals
As stated, physicians, nurse practitioners and registered nurses can all help educate patients, improving health literacy levels as a corollary. Here are some effective tips:
1. Recommend mobile apps
According to a 2017 Pew Research Center study, a notable majority of Americans – some 77 percent, to be precise – now own a smartphone. This means that access to health information via apps is higher than ever before. As explained by the Health Works Collective, there are apps that can deal with a whole array of health-related issues, from preventative strategies such as exercise and good nutrition, to the management of chronic conditions. For example, as mentioned by the source, some smartphone apps even function as medical tools, collecting personal health data pertaining to things such as heart rate and sugar levels. Apps can also serve as sources of general health information. Healthcare professionals should encourage patients to download certain cost-effective apps that they believe would help improve the health literacy of the patient in question.
2. Use plain language
As detailed by the HHS, it is important for healthcare professionals to utilize plain language when discussing health issues with patients, particularly if it is evident that the patient in question has poor health literacy skills. So what does this mean in practice? It means keeping instructions and information straightforward and easy to digest. It also means refraining from using terminology that is only widely understood in the medical sphere. Health care professionals are also advised to emphasize instructions and explain rationale using easy-to-comprehend examples.
3. Make use of graphics and pictures
Many people are able to learn more effectively with the help of images or informational graphics. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement suggested providing patients with literature, such as pamphlets, or links to online resources, that make heavier use of images as opposed to text.
4. Utilize technology to reach more patients
In addition to EHR platforms, other developments in technology, such as patient portals and telemedicine solutions, have helped patients enjoy higher levels of communication with healthcare providers. The HHS stressed that healthcare providers should make use of these tools to reach more patients. Platforms such as patient portals can be an effective way to deliver crucial health information, such as test results and treatment instructions. Telemedicine can also be used as a way to assess and even treat undeserved patient populations, such as those in rural areas and those with limited mobility. With more technological tools at their disposal, healthcare professionals can connect more effectively with patient populations, improving health literacy levels in the process.
5. Build community connections
Healthcare providers are also encouraged to expand their efforts to improve health literacy beyond the walls of their own medical practices. As detailed by HHS, this entails partnering with local community groups that can help disseminate important health information, whether that’s reminders to get seasonal flu shots, directives for getting more exercise and eating more nutritiously or campaigns to encourage screenings for certain kinds of cancers – colon, prostate, cervical and breast cancers are pertinent examples. Types of community organizations that healthcare providers should consider working with include local libraries, community colleges and religious organizations.
Health literacy implies the achievement of a level of knowledge, personal skills and confidence to take action to improve personal and community health by changing personal lifestyles and living conditions. Thus, health literacy means more than being able to read pamphlets and make appointments. By improving people’s access to health information, and their capacity to use it effectively, health literacy is critical to empowerment.” Health Promotion Glossary, 1998.
Improving health literacy in populations provides the foundation on which citizens are enabled to play an active role in improving their own health, engage successfully with community action for health, and push governments to meet their responsibilities in addressing health and health equity. Meeting the health literacy needs of the most disadvantaged and marginalized societies will particularly accelerate progress in reducing inequities in health and beyond. Efforts to raise health literacy will be crucial in whether the social, economic and environmental ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are fully realized.
Many Americans still labor under a number of healthcare misconceptions, especially as they pertain to health insurance, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and other coverage products. Others suffer from “health insurance illiteracy.” Unfortunately, good information can be difficult for consumers to access — and even more difficult for many consumers to understand. But in our national move toward a consumer-based model, Americans have more reason than ever to educate themselves about the delivery of healthcare.
Healthcare illiteracy has reached critical mass.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released last year, nearly 3 out of 4 organizations that help consumers enroll in health coverage report having to explain basic healthcare terminology to the majority of the people they assist. According to a Harris poll of 2,000 American adults, 38 percent of consumers report that they don’t have a good understanding of which services are covered under their current plans.
Insurance (and health insurance in particular) has always been a somewhat opaque environment for the average consumer. Coverage is delineated in mind-numbing declaration pages. Exclusions and eligibilities are explained in impenetrable legalese. Successful appeals require resources to mount — resources often not possessed by the people who need the most redress.
Not only do consumers need to have a high level of literacy to read their contracts, they would need to have a basic understanding of the principles of finance and law in order to, on their own, make the insurance purchases that would be best for them.
Luckily, agents exist to bridge that gap for most insurance products. Agents ask questions to match customers’ coverage needs to products available on the market. They curate a manageable number of best choices for the customer to choose from. And they serve as a contact point for questions, education and customer service.
Most health insurance, however, isn’t purchased on an individual plan basis. Most of it is chosen either by employers’ benefit administrators or government administrators, then passed along to consumers on a near take-it-or-leave-it basis. In many cases, consumers think they only have one or two choices. Some don’t even know that health insurance can be purchased on an individual basis.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) sought to change some of those misconceptions and acclimate consumers to the availability of alternatives, but the rollout has been difficult, uneven and controversial.
As things stand, health insurance can be even more difficult to understand than property and casualty or life insurance lines. Not only might a consumer need to have basic knowledge of law and finance, he or she would need somewhat sophisticated knowledge of medicine and of the healthcare system in order to choose proper coverage for him or herself. At the same time, the ACA has cut profit margins for health insurance providers and agents enough that some are beginning to exit the market. Budget-conscious middle and lower-class Americans continue to demand simplified, consumer-direct purchasing models — placing additional pressure on agents. It’s a perfect environment for health insurance illiteracy to breed.NURS 6401 week 11 Assignment Paper