Health literacy and its importance for effective communication. Part 2

Abstract

This is the second of two articles exploring the concept of health literacy, an often hidden barrier to effective healthcare communication. Part 1 was published in April ( Lambert and Keogh 2014 ). This article explains how to detect low levels of health literacy among parents and children, and outlines the challenges to assessing health literacy levels, including the stigma and discrimination some people experience. Some basic healthcare communication strategies for supporting health literacy in practice are suggested.

Barreras en la comunicación percibidas por un grupo de mujeres histerectomizadas: Un desafío para entregar una educación apropiada

“…En relación a las barreras por parte de las mujeres, se ha establecido una relación entre la vergüenza y timidez con una baja literacidad de los pacientes, además de la posibilidad de experimentar discriminación (24,25). Por lo anterior es vital proveer un ambiente adecuado a las mujeres para que se sientan capaces de revelar abiertamente su necesidad de asistencia o confusión respecto a la información recibida (18).…”

An Evaluation of Health Literacy in Plastic Surgery Patients

“…1,2 Low health literacy is associated with $106-$236 billion annually in increased hospitalizations. 3,4 Currently, there is no data on levels of health literacy in plastic surgery patients. A recent survey of ASPS members demonstrated that plastic surgeons overestimate the health literacy of their patients.…”

Variation in health literacy among family caregiver communication types

“…Health literacy is defined as an individual's ability to receive, acquire, understand, and use information; however, evolving conceptualizations of health literacy also include the caregiver's ability to communicate with other family members and the patient . Health literacy is multifaceted, including cognitive, social, and navigational skills such as language proficiency, reading, and numeracy skills, understanding risk and probability, and the communication skills needed to interact with a range of health care providers . Limited health literacy has been linked to poor disease management, nonadherence to treatment recommendations, increased hospitalizations, and patient or caregiver medication errors .…”