When giving medical advice to patients, understanding their health literacy level is key. It helps you select relevant health information and communicate it effectively to your patients.
Simply put, health literacy is the ability to find, process and use medical information to make health-related decisions. It is not just a measure of reading ability, although strong readers tend to have better health literacy.
In Quebec, about 2 in 3 adults have a low health literacy level. This is a massive proportion. Everyday tasks can be incredibly challenging for people with low literacy, including:
Scheduling an appointment at the clinic or hospital
Understanding their health issues and what they have to do to get better
Asking questions to clarify some information
Understanding their treatment and its effects
Etc.
And contrary to what you might think, health literacy is not always linked to education. For example, new Canadians often have lower health literacy regardless of their education level.
Does this surprise you? If you find our healthcare system complex, imagine having to navigate one in a different country and language... In comparison, our healthcare institutions seem pretty harmless.
In addition to immigration status, native language and education level, other factors can affect a person's health literacy. These include:
Age and sex
Physical and cognitive ability
Cultural beliefs
More and more, we recognize that institutions have an important role to play in health literacy. We can no longer expect patients to figure it out on their own. We need to make it easier for them to get the care that they need.
We still have a long way to go to make it happen. As a Plain Language Specialist, I help by writing patient information materials at a 6th grade reading level. By doing this I can reach most readers, including those with less reading ability.
Wondering what you can do to improve access to healthcare?
If you work with patients, there are a few ways you can help:
Use everyday words, not medical jargon. It will be difficult at first but your patients will thank you.
Ask patients to repeat what you said in their own words instead of asking if they understood everything. You will know exactly what they have retained and will be able to correct them if needed.
Hand out plain language fact sheets. That way your patients can review the information at home, when they are more relaxed. Make sure to ask a Plain Language Specialist to create or edit your handouts. Remember: you may not be able to tell yourself if the information is clear enough.
Work with a certified interpreter when talking to patients or families who don't speak English. Some interpreters are trained to accurately translate medical information in a clinical setting.
Try to remove unnecessary steps and obstacles. Processes tend to be designed to fit the institutions' needs, not the patients'. If you can, simplify patient forms and combine appointments to minimize the need for travel.
Offer a list of resources to patients before they ask. What if they have questions once they are at home? If you won't be able help then, give out the contact information of a local organization, community group or helpline.
Want to know more? Contact me!