Did you know October is Health Literacy Month? Clear communication with understandable terms (not a “firehose” of medical terminology) empowers patients with a sense of ownership and understanding in their own care, leading to digestible instructions, encouragement to ask questions, action, and thus better health outcomes. We must, as healthcare providers, remember we’re here not just for our patient’s care, but to empower them in their healthcare journey!
What are some ways to advance Health Literacy, including through Health Literacy Month? According to Helen Osborne Helen Osborne M.Ed., OTR/L, founder of Health Literacy Month, initiatives can include:
- + Health facilities hosting health literacy workshops for employees and patients
- + Associations holding health literacy conferences and training programs
- + Senior centers offering educational programs about medication safety
- + Literacy programs sponsoring how-to health literacy fairs
- + Libraries displaying useful and understandable consumer health information
- + Health science programs encouraging students to create health literacy projects
- + Businesses offer wellness programs for their employees
- + States officially proclaiming October as Health Literacy Month
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement, which leads the charge on #healthliteracymonth, states as its goal “To empower, educate, and support health professionals and organizations to remove communication barriers so patients can manage their own care and thrive.”
What are you doing for Health Literacy Month? Do you feel there still remains a gap in communication between healthcare providers and patients?
References
https://www.healthliteracysolutions.org/blogs/iha-staff1/2023/09/29/october-is-health-literacy-month
https://www.nnlm.gov/resources/reading-club/topic/258
