October is Health Literacy Month
Health literacy, the ability to obtain, understand, and apply health information in an appropriate fashion is imperative. The lack of informed consumers not only affect our personal well-being but it affects the “health“ of our nation in a variety of sectors including economics, morbidity and mortality, ethics, and liability.
In very simplistic terms, “Being health literate means having a clear understanding of what we need to do in order to achieve health.”1
Adequate health literacy enhances our ability to:
- Understand that when we are ill, we need appropriate health care
- Communicate effectively and accurately information about our condition to all health care practitioners and paramedical personnel
Limited health literacy can result in:
- Increased morbidity, mortality and more costly care
- Increased medication and treatment errors, hospitalizations, longer hospital stays, and increased costly emergency room care
What can you do?
- Know your health status
- Keep records of medical encounters
- Know your medication(s)
- Insist on medical information that you can understand
- Expect excellence from your health care practitioner(s)
- Be an informed consumer of health care
Take charge of your health!
1Wolters Kluwer, Law and Business, Managed Care Outlook, Volume 21,Number 1, January 1, 2008.
PREVENTIVE CARE - Click here to learn more.