by Derrick K. Mobley, MD
The Centers for Disease Control has stated that patients with low health literacy are:
More likely to visit an Emergency Room
• Have more hospital stays
• Are less likely to follow treatment plans
• Have higher mortality rates
Healthcare providers are educated and trained to use words, phrases, and concepts that are familiar to them but unfamiliar to the average patient. Additionally, the practice of healthcare has been re-oriented to satisfy business standards, often at the expense of quality patient care. Because of the limited time for patient encounters imposed by this encroaching business model of healthcare, clear communication is paramount to achieving positive outcomes from patient encounters.
Health literacy is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to form healthy decisions and actions for themselves and others. It includes reading, comprehending, and analyzing information, instructions, symbols, charts, and diagrams; weighing risks and benefits; and ultimately making decisions and taking action.
With so much health information available from Internet sources, it can be a challenge to process and understand what is factual versus what is being promoted purely for financial gain. It is estimated that only 4% of adults in the USA have the health literacy skills needed to manage the demands of our complex healthcare system, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The 2000 census revealed that 30 million Americans speak poor English, and 10 million speak no English at all.
When you visit your healthcare provider, communication should be clear, simple, and unambiguous. Ordered tests should be fully explained, diagnoses interpreted to your level of satisfaction and comprehension, and treatment, especially medication prescriptions, should be discussed for their benefit and potential harmful side effects. It is an excellent practice to repeat what you have been told by your healthcare provider to ensure that the two of you are communicating effectively before ending your visit.
Ideally, your primary care provider should be discussing how you and he/she can prevent, treat, and potentially reverse noninfectious chronic diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity through diet and lifestyle changes. These are the medical conditions that are consuming 80% of all healthcare dollars in the country today, negatively impacting the quality of our lives and causing premature disability and death.
**********
Thank you for reading this article on scoopusamedia.com. To additional articles of interest, please subscribe to Scoop USA Media. Print subscriptions are $75.00 and online subscriptions (Print, Digital and Vizion) are $90. (52 weeks/1 year)
