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October is Health Literacy Month

Understanding health literacy helps health care providers support a health care system in which all Nova Scotians can understand health information and play an active role in their own health.

What is health literacy?

How we define and understand health literacy has evolved over the past several decades. Most recently, researchers and policy makers have divided health literacy into two parts: personal health literacy and organizational health literacy.

Personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform their own health-related decisions and actions.¹

Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably (and fairly) connect with and enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform individual health-related decisions and actions.¹

When health information and our health care systems are difficult to understand:

• Fewer people understand or follow their health care provider’s instructions and guidance ²
• Fewer people use preventative services ³
• Fewer people get vaccinated ^{4, 5}
• More people make mistakes taking (or not taking) their medications ⁶
• More people go to the Emergency Department ⁷
• More people are admitted or re-admitted to the hospital ⁷

Poor health literacy puts patients at risk and increases wait times and costs for our health care system.

All members of the health care team play a role in health literacy:

• Administrative staff are often a patient’s first point of contact, providing patients with key pieces of information to make sure they receive the care they need, such as:
  • appointment information (like where to go, when, and what to bring) using clear and familiar language
  • explaining what will happen next
• If forms are not filled out correctly or patients are lost or confused about where they need to go, appointments may be cancelled or delayed. Missed appointments are often a sign of low health literacy. ⁸
• Key parts of patient-centered care are avoiding jargon and explaining acronyms or medical terms that patients and support persons will hear throughout their care. Clear and familiar language enable patients to fully participate in the care we provide.

This October, become a health literacy ambassador and tell your colleagues just how important it is to use clear communication! Remember to:

- Speak clearly
- Give direct instructions
- Provide plain language materials (like Nova Scotia Health patient education pamphlets) to support your message

Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Communicate Better with Patients
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3z_Jz91JzI

Talking Points about Health Literacy
https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/shareinteract/TellOthers.html

CDC Clear Communication Index
https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf

An Introduction to Health Literacy
https://new.nnlm.gov/guides/intro-health-literacy

Clinical Conversations Training Program
https://www.nnlm.gov/guides/clinical-conversations-training-program

Institute for Healthcare Advancement(IHA)
Your Toolkit - Health Literacy Month

See all references

1. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2023, October). Healthy People 2030: Health Literacy in Healthy People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-literacy-healthy-people-2030

2. Kim, Y.-S., Kim, H. A., Kim, M.-S., Kim, H. S., Kwak, M. J., Chun, J., Hwang, J.-I., & Kim, H. (2020). How to Improve Patient Safety Literacy? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197308

3. Koh, H. K., Brach, C., Harris, L. M., & Parchman, M. L. (2013). A Proposed ‘Health Literate Care Model’ Would Constitute A Systems Approach To Improving Patients’ Engagement In Care. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 32(2), 357–367. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.1205

4. UnitedHealth Group. (2020). Improving health literacy could prevent nearly 1 million hospital visits and save over $25 billion a year. UnitedHealth Group. https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/content/dam/UHG/PDF/About/Health-Literacy-Brief.pdf

5. Hudson, A., & Montelpare, W. J. (2021). Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy: Implications for COVID-19 Public Health Messaging. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 8054. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158054

6. Yang, Y. (2022). Effects of health literacy competencies on patient-centered care among nurses. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1172. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08550-w

7. Farmanova, E., Bonneville, L., & Bouchard, L. (2018). Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues. Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing, 55, 46958018757848. https://doi.org/10.1177/0046958018757848

8. Glick, A. F., Brach, C., Yin, H. S., & Dreyer, B. P. (2019). Health Literacy in the Inpatient Setting: Implications for Patient Care and Patient Safety. Pediatric clinics of North America, 66(4), 805–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2019.03.007

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

Kallen Rutledge

Librarian Educator, Patient Education Pamphlets Lead
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone

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