Literacy – The Path to Successful Communication

According to Merriam Webster, to be literate is to be “educated, to have the ability to read and write.” However, in reality, to be literate means so much more. To be functionally literate, one has to understand how to process information, ask appropriate questions, and make informed decisions. This two-part series will discuss two kinds of literacy and why it’s crucial to good communication and favorable outcomes.

Two examples of literacy that are fundamental are health literacy and financial literacy. Health literacy is necessary to understand certain medical terminology, the importance of undergoing tests, what the tests mean, taking medication, following your physician’s recommendations and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Financial literacy is necessary to understand basic fundamentals of money management. Examples include the principles of saving, budgeting, taxes, investing and setting specific goals, such as planning for college or retirement. It is also important to understand how to manage finances as a couple, including spending habits and avoiding debt. 

In today’s first segment, we will discuss health literacy. 

According to MedlinePlus, https://medlineplus.gov, a trusted resource on medical issues, health literacy means having the information and understanding to be able to make good healthcare related decisions. Additionally, the providers of healthcare, the physicians and institutions, have the responsibility of getting the appropriate health information to patients and helping them use that information to make sound health decisions for themselves and their families.

There are many components of health literacy. These  include:

• Basic knowledge of medical terminology
• An understanding of how the healthcare delivery system functions, the roles of various healthcare professionals 
• Fundamental reading and comprehension skills
• Language and culture barriers
• Ability to conduct basic research / information gathering
• Physical or mental impairments

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (https://www.cdc.gov), businesses, educators, community leaders, government agencies, health insurers, healthcare providers and the media, all have a part to play in improving health literacy in society.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently published a Federal Notice (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/) to solicit public comments, with the goal of improving the definition of health literacy. HHS recognizes that the “US healthcare delivery system can be complicated and even highly motivated and educated individuals may find the system too complicated to understand, especially when persons access the system in poor health.” Consequently, health literacy skills may actually reflect system complexity rather than individual skill levels.

Unfortunately, many of the same people who are at risk for poor health literacy also have health disparities, defined as poor base line health based on age, race, gender, or other factors.

Therefore, health literacy is important because it can affect a person’s ability to:

• Communicate well with healthcare professionals, make good decisions about one’s health and medical care
• Get the medical care one needs, as well as preventative care, which is critical to preventing disease
• Take medication correctly and understand the side effects
• Manage disease, especially chronic disease, maintain good health

If someone doesn’t understand something a healthcare professional says, they should be asked to explain it further. All healthcare providers have the obligation to communicate so that patients can understand instructions, including language translation, illustrations and written instructions.

As an example, according to https://www.healthypeople.gov, some individuals with low literacy may not be able to understand test results or prescription labels. Therefore, interventions such as visual aids and counseling may be necessary to increase understanding and support patient safety.

There is evidence that an individual may have high overall literacy and still have low health literacy. Low or limited health literacy may be linked to poor health outcomes. Supporting health literacy may improve patient outcomes, certainly the goal of the healthcare delivery system.

Patients who are hospitalized are at greater risk for low health literacy if they are admitted with an acute illness. Some acute conditions, such as a stroke, can impede a patient’s ability to speak or comprehend. An advocate may be necessary to support the patient’s stay in the hospital. This could be a family member, a close friend, a healthcare proxy or a hospital appointed advocacy representative.

Patients with low health literacy also tend to use the emergency department more often, which drives up healthcare costs. Research has also shown that parents with low literacy may negatively impact their children’s health outcomes.

Monitoring health literacy, and supporting it, when necessary, should be the goal of society, including individuals, healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions. Advancing health literacy for patients can improve outcomes, including those of children. These are certainly worthwhile goals to strive for.

In segment two, the equally important topic of financial literacy will be discussed.