Health Literacy

Health literacy deals with a person’s or organization’s capacity to locate, understand and
use information on health related actions and decisions for oneself and others. An individual
with adequate health literacy, hence, has the capacity to locate, process, understand and act on
key health information to make proper health choices (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). Further, a
person with health literacy and understand health materials such as appointment slips, and take
responsibility for their health or that of their family. Adequate literacy further implies that a
person can also understand complex demands of healthcare such as available treatment options
for a given illness. On the contrary, low health literacy implies that an individual lacks literacy
skills and can, therefore, not understand basic health issues like prescription labels or treatment
procedure. Individuals with low health literacy as also prone to making decisions that contribute
to poor health outcomes.

Health literacy is relevant to the nursing field because it provides a way to communicate
effectively with patients about their health status (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). Nurses apply the
concept of health literacy to assess their patient’s understanding of health-related strategies to
improve their outcomes. In the case where a patient show low health literacy, nurses must
appropriately educate their patients to prevent mistakes and misunderstanding. Health literacy is
further useful in the profession to improve patient outcomes. Patients who fail to understand and
process issues related to their health are at high risk of engaging in activities that contribute to
poor outcomes. Health literacy is also relevant in the field to empower and educate patients to
make sound health decisions independently. This aspect helps to improve patient behavior and
overall health outcomes.

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One of the challenges that may arise related to health literacy is lack of trust where some
patients fail to trust their health providers. Health providers with a different ethnic, education,
socio-economic status or age often find it difficult to develop a trusting relationship with their
patients (Wittenberg et al., 2018). As such, patients may be reluctant to disclose personal
information or even ask questions. Another aspect of trust that poses challenges to health literacy
programs is when patients withhold information so as not to appear challenged or a lesser
challenge to health providers. This element hence influences the process of obtaining and sharing
information through medical examinations and interviews.

Another challenge related to health literacy is difficulty in obtaining information through
the internet. Individuals with low health literacy often lack access to the internet due to factors
such as low level of education and poverty (Wittenberg et al., 2018). As such, these people have
no or limited access to online health information. More so, when they access the information,
there are no regulatory standards online that provide clarity on research-based scientific
information and false health information. The content and structure of information on the
internet further poses challenges in the case where health experts use complex vocabularies and
language that is difficult to comprehend. The use of overly complex terms and health processes
makes it difficult for individuals with low literacy skills to understand and process health-related
materials.

The first strategy to overcome these challenges is to empower and educate communities
and the general public about health-related issues and decisions (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). For
example, governments can invest in health education programs and collaborate with partners
from various communities, especially the disenfranchised ones to promote better health choices.

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The second strategy is to simplify health-related materials both online and offline. Using simple
texts and illustrator graphics can help improve patients’ understanding of health information that
would otherwise appear complex and difficult to process ((Wittenberg et al., 2018). As such,
health providers should also use simple language to ensure effective communication with
patients who have low level health literacy. The third strategy to deal with these challenges is
promoting health literacy as a responsibility for health providers to ensure that they embrace
strategies to develop good patient-physician relationships, and also educate patients and their
families on various aspects related to their health decisions.

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References

Nutbeam, D., & Lloyd, J. E. (2021). Understanding and responding to health literacy as a social
determinant of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 42.
Wittenberg, E., Ferrell, B., Kanter, E., & Buller, H. (2018). Health literacy: exploring nursing
challenges to providing support and understanding. Clinical journal of oncology nursing,
22(1), 53-61.