About Literacy

Health And Literacy:
Literacy's Unhealthy Problem

Nearly 90 million Americans have what is known as low health literacy-the ability to read, obtain, understand, and act upon health information. Low health literacy is not a new problem, but is a newly recognized problem. Thousands of patients in the United States have their health compromised by a poor understanding of health materials and healthcare procedures. Recent studies suggest that up to as many as 40 percent of patients are unable to fully understand instructions and information on a common prescription bottle. This inability to understand health information results in an estimated cost of $60-70 billion dollars annually to the health care system.

People with low health literacy and low literacy skills are often too embarrassed to admit they don't understand written or verbal information from their doctors. These feelings of shame and embarrassment result in a lack of communication and understanding between doctors and patients, making it more difficult for the patient to obtain an optimal level of care. An example found on the American Medical Association's web site illustrates how one woman felt after meeting with her doctor.

"Can you imagine what it's like being sick, and you know that you have limited skills, okay, and your talking to an intelligent doctor like yourselves. And these people are using words that you really don't know because they're not speaking in layman's terms, okay? Most doctors are just presuming that everybody's as intelligent as they are. And that is just not the case. So you come out of that room, that examination room with this intelligent man or woman thinking: God, I hope I don't make a mistake with my medicine, because I did not understand anything he or she said to me"

Here are the facts:

Low health literacy can affect people in many different ways. These individuals may have difficulty:

• understanding complex medical forms or consent agreements
• understanding written directions
• understanding how to take medication
• understanding food labels
• understanding complicated medical jargon

Only 17 percent of the US population have reading levels advanced enough to understand the health materials that are provided at many community health agencies. One in five adults reads below the sixth-grade level, yet most health materials are written at a tenth-grade level or above.

What needs to be done:

Low health literacy is a public health problem, not just an individual patient's problem. It is a problem that can only be fixed over time, and requires work from doctors, educators, and patients alike. Doctors need to speak in plain language with every patient, and should always ask the patient to repeat all the information that has been given. It is also important that all doctors and nurses are trained about health literacy, so that they can learn how to adjust their own language accordingly when working with patients. Furthermore, patients need to begin communicating their feelings, questions, and concerns with doctors more effectively.

The Partnership for Clear Health Communication has begun an Ask Me 3 (www.askme3.org) initiative to raise awareness about health literacy for both patients and health care professionals. This partnership encourages patients to remember these three questions when visiting a doctor:

• What is my main problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why is it important for me to do this?

Asking these problems, can significantly reduce future medical or health problems, by helping the patient identify exactly what needs to be done and why. Health literacy is a problem that cannot be fixed overnight. A resolution can only be found over time through increased awareness and education about the problem.

Remember, The little things that you do to help another person struggling with low literacy skills might have a big impact. Make them aware about the negative health impacts of low health literacy, and make sure that they are getting the help they need to attain better health!

New 2004 Health Literacy Cards
Designed for individuals who struggle with low literacy skills or for anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of care, these cards will fit easily into your wallet to help you remember important questions to ask your doctor, and things to remember before, during, and after a doctor's appointment. click here to get more information.

Visit these web sites to learn more about health literacy and what's being done to raise awareness about this important literacy and health issue !

www.proliteracy.org

www.cahealthliteracy.org/index.html

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8115.html

http://www.iom.edu/project.asp?id=3827