Dr Michelle O'Driscoll: Let's talk about health literacy

OCTOBER is Health Literacy month globally, which is used as an opportunity to promote the importance of understandable health information for all.

Challenges with literacy in the area of healthcare can lead to problems accessing the treatment and care that we require, and add layers of anxiety and uncertainty to navigating an already stressful healthcare system.

Currently, about one in three Irish people have problems with reading, understanding and implementing healthcare information. That may be yourself, your family member for whom you care, or somebody that you engage with in relation to their health.

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) report that being able to effectively deal with other aspects of life does not make you automatically immune from health literacy challenges. Many who deal effectively with other aspects of their lives find health information difficult to get, process or apply.

We’ve all been there at some point – asked to fill out a highly complex form, or trying to read a leaflet full of jargon. Information that is complicated, unnecessarily lengthy, and poor in how its presented can be a challenge to anyone.

Research shows that being informed about your health leads to better conversations with your healthcare team, a better understanding of how your condition is being treated, and a higher likelihood of taking medications as advised. This all leads to overall better health outcomes, which, of course, we all want for ourselves and our loved ones.

If this is your experience, there are things that you can do, and ways that you can enlist the help of others, whose job it is to support you in navigating the healthcare system. NALA are an organisation with excellent online resources that can be used to support you and your healthcare providers in this regard.

The most important piece of advice is that if you’re struggling with understanding any aspect of your healthcare, please speak up. Embarrassment has been cited as the main reason for not asking for more information, but problems in this area are incredibly common, and it’s not something to be ashamed of, or something to feel like you should be trying to hide.

By highlighting the issue of understandable health information, you’ll be helping a lot more than just yourself in making strides towards adequate patient education. Healthcare providers are gradually becoming more aware of this issue also, and attempting to make all healthcare encounters and information materials more user-friendly.

Attending appointments with questions and important things to ask about noted down in advance, is a great way to overcome any issues you might have in relation to understanding. it’s so common to leave an appointment having forgotten what it was you wanted to ask in the first place. A written list on your phone or in your notes will help to steer the conversation in the direction you wish, and empower you in understanding fully the plan for your care.

It is also advisable to ask for a variety of delivery methods in relation to how the information is being delivered to you. Even better, specify your preference. Would you like a diagram to be drawn to explain how an inhaler works? Would you prefer short bullet points to explain the key concepts? Is plain English being used, or do you require translation? Would a checklist for complicated medication plan be helpful? Might a video summarising the important points help? These approaches are helpful, no matter what you’re learning, and healthcare is no different.

‘Repeat back’ is a great technique for patients that the NALA also flag as useful, and can be used at any stage of your healthcare journey. 

When given lots of information, take a minute to request that you get to repeat back your understanding of it. This gives you a chance to better process it, as well as giving the person providing the information an opportunity to clarify anything that you’ve missed or are not sure of. Any healthcare provider should be only happy to oblige, as it gives reassurance and peace of mind to all parties.

Health literacy is a concern for many, often without others realising it. The patient voice to help highlight this challenge is vital, in order to address it across our healthcare system.

If this is an area you struggle with, request the help required to best understand your condition and treatment.