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Improving health literacy: It's everyone's business
Improving health literacy: It's everyone's business
The New Zealand Medical
Association today releases a policy briefing on
Improving Health Literacy
that seeks to promote a shared understanding of what health
literacy means, why it is important, and what can be done to
improve it.
“It is imperative that we speak a language
that can be understood, and that we listen to ensure our
message is heard—at systems levels, in
hospitals/practices, marketing, education programmes, and in
every single patient contact,” says NZMA Chair Dr Stephen
Child.
“This is relevant for all healthcare
professionals, healthcare managers, as well as policy and
decision makers across multiple sectors. It highlights the
need for doctors and patients to share decision making,
which requires clear communication at all
levels.”
Health literacy is important. Lower levels of
health literacy are associated with:
• increased rates
of hospitalisation and greater use of emergency
care
• poorer ability to take medications properly and
to interpret labels
• poorer overall health status and
a higher risk of death among older people.
Poor health
literacy is a particular issue for disadvantaged and
vulnerable groups as it can exacerbate underlying health
access and equity issues.
“Improving health literacy is
not just about individuals; it needs system changes,” says
Dr Child. “We want to build the capacity of people to make
effective decisions and take appropriate action for their
own healthcare; we also need to improve the capacity of the
health system to support this and allow it to
happen.
“We want this to be a useful, thought-provoking
document, and have made a number of recommendations to that
end.”
Susan Reid, Director of Health Literacy NZ, says
Improving Health Literacy
is comprehensive in terms of its recommendations, covering
each of the four groups represented in New Zealand's
Framework for Health Literacy: the health system, health
organisations, health workforce and individuals. “The
Policy Briefing reflects both the history of health
literacy, its emergent nature in New Zealand and the urgency
to address health literacy,” she says.
“At Health
Literacy NZ, we are privileged in that we often get to sit
in and observe consultations between health professionals,
patients and families. We know that health professionals are
highly motivated to provide the best care they can and we
see the significant difference made by using health literacy
approaches, as recommended in this policy
briefing.”
/ends
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