E.6 Health literacy Flashcards
Determine best practice in integrating health literacy into information sources and systems.
What is health literacy?
Health literacy is about how people understand information about health and health care, and how they apply that information to their lives, use it to make decisions and act on it.
How are overall literacy levels related to health literacy?
Overall literacy levels are strongly correlated with health literacy. People with lower educational attainment generally have poorer health literacy.
What adverse health outcomes are associated with low levels of health literacy?
Low levels of health literacy are associated with:
* Increased rates of hospitalisation and greater use of emergency care
* Lower use of mammography and lower uptake of influenza vaccines
* Poorer ability to demonstrate taking medications appropriately
* Poorer ability to interpret labels and health messages
* Poorer knowledge about their disease or condition
* Poorer overall health status and higher risk of death among older people.
What is the relationship between health literacy and patient involvement?
Better levels of health literacy are associated with increased patient involvement in shared decision making, which is important for successful partnerships between patients and health professionals.
What does health literacy encompass according to the ACSQHC?
Health literacy encompasses individual skills, such as the ability to find, understand, and use health information, and health system-based elements that affect individual engagement with the health system.
What is the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ)?
The Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) is a validated tool that assesses health literacy across nine domains encompassing individual and health environment measures.
What percentage of respondents in the 2018 Health Literacy Survey believed they could actively manage their health?
91% of respondents agreed (73%) or strongly agreed (18%) that they could actively manage their health.
Which groups were less likely to strongly agree they could actively manage their health?
Groups less likely to strongly agree included:
* People who considered their health to be only fair or poor
* Those reporting three or more long-term health conditions
* Daily smokers
* Individuals without a non-school qualification
* People living alone.
What percentage of respondents reported finding it difficult to navigate the healthcare system?
14% of people reported finding it difficult to navigate the healthcare system.
How did inadequate health literacy affect people’s understanding during the COVID-19 pandemic?
People with inadequate health literacy had a poorer understanding of COVID-19 symptoms, were less able to identify preventive behaviours, and experienced more difficulty finding information and understanding government messaging.
What was a key finding regarding government COVID-19 information readability?
Research showed that the majority of government COVID-19 information exceeded the recommended 8th-grade reading level, making it difficult for general audiences, especially those with lower health literacy.
What are the key findings of the ACSQHC evidence check on healthcare quality and safety information consumers want?
Key findings include:
* Consumer information seeking is context-dependent
* The Internet is the most frequently identified resource for primary care patients
* Culturally and linguistically diverse populations are less likely to use the Internet.
What are the ten attributes of literate health organisations according to the ACSQHC?
The ten attributes are:
* Leadership that makes health literacy integral to the organisation’s mission
* Integration of health literacy into planning and evaluation
* Investment in workforce health literacy
* Inclusion of populations served in health information design
* Meeting population health literacy needs
* Use of health literacy strategies in communication
* Easy access to health information and navigation assistance
* Clear communication about health insurance.
What is eHealth literacy?
eHealth literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use health information from electronic sources to make informed health decisions.
What challenges are associated with eHealth literacy for socially disadvantaged groups?
eHealth literacy needs of users are often overlooked, leading to digital marginalisation and widening health disparities.
