Practice Changes to Improve Health Literacy Facts

The second goal of the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy aims to promote changes in the healthcare system that improve health information, communication, informed decision-making and access to health services. Improving health literacy is part of this desired change to a person-centered system and essential to the delivery of cost-effective, safe and high-quality health services. Historically, lower health literacy has plagued utilization rates, been associated with poorer outcomes and contributed to inequalities in health status and access to care. Health educators have a role to play in creating an environment that addresses limited healthy literacy among patients and increasing the awareness, skills and practice changes among providers delivering healthcare services. • Even though most adults read at an eighth-grade level, and 20 percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level. 1 • Nearly 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using the everyday health information that is routinely available in our healthcare facilities. 2 • Lower health literacy is associated with increased hospitalization, greater emergency care use, lower use of mammography and lower receipt of influenza vaccine. 3, 4 • People are more likely to skip necessary medical tests, take their medications incorrectly and have a harder time managing chronic diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure. 3, 4 • Studies have shown that 40-80 percent of the medical information patients receive is forgotten immediately and nearly half of the information retained is incorrect. 5 • Patients understand medical information better when spoken to slowly, simple words are used, and a restricted amount of information is presented. 6 • Individuals with low levels of literacy are less equipped to benefit from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), with potentially costly consequences for both those who pay for and deliver their care, as well as for themselves. Rates of low literacy are disproportionately high among lower-income Americans eligible for publicly financed car