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
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
Library Services' Education and Training team provides all staff, physicians and researchers with education and supports to effectively discover and use health information.
With health care workers' busy schedules in mind, we offer sessions on a variety of dates and times.
Have you ever wondered what impact Intellectual Property has on health care? Do you have a great idea that you think may help patients and you want to know how to protect it? This interactive presentation led by Nova Scotia Health’s Innovation Hub will answer your questions.
This session highlights how easy-to-read and up-to-date patient education materials can support patient care and safety. Learn how to get started, what is involved in developing and updating pamphlets, and how to find, use and share pamphlets effectively.
This session introduces the process and standards you will need to follow to ensure your online course reflects high quality content with optimal readability and performance in Nova Scotia Health’s LMS.
Anatomy.TV provides a moveable 3D model of the human body that allows you to explore different layers of various body systems. The diagrams include annotations to help you learn more about specific body parts. Learn how to navigate this powerful tool to improve your understanding of human anatomy.
This session focuses on navigating core library tools and resources, including the catalogue, ejournals and ebooks, and databases.
Creating content is time consuming. This session will give you tips to avoid common pitfalls in 3 areas that delay content-creation projects:
It is important to understand how complementary and alternative medicines may interact with prescription medications. Natural Medicines™ is a point-of-care tool that can answer your questions about alternative therapies and dietary supplements.
Finding evidence-based research begins with a well-constructed, searchable question. In this session, we will explore the process of breaking down complex research questions into key concepts using established tools like PICO.
Critical appraisal can help you evaluate information sources systematically and effectively. This session will explore:
Would you or your team like an introduction to copyright? Maybe you would like a refresher on how copyright applies to your work at Nova Scotia Health? We’ll cover the copyright topics that matter to you, at a time that works for you. Reach out to Copyright@nshealth.ca to request a session.
You can browse the list of all of our courses in our learning opportunities calendar or print and post our Fall education flyer. If you have questions, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca. We look forward to seeing you in one or several of our sessions!
Amanda Andrews
Librarian Educator, Education & Training Lead
Eastern Zone - Cape Breton, Guysborough, Antigonish