Nursing

News spotlight: Low health literacy, high health costs

Nurse Leader Weekly, August 8, 2011

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When Joe Smith walks into a bar, chances are he isn't going to order an "alcoholic libation" to quench his thirst. He's going to order a beer.

The same scenario—minus the beer—applies when Joe Smith walks into a hospital or clinic for treatment. He isn't going to ask the doc to check for "hyperlipidemia"—more likely he'll ask about high cholesterol.

Mr. Smith represents an average patient with average health literacy—the ability to read, understand, and act on health information. Patients with low health literacy may have trouble understanding medication instructions or comprehending the details of a consent form.

Health literacy is one of the least recognized, but one of the most widespread challenges to achieving better health outcomes and lowering healthcare costs in the U.S., according to the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF). This problem, when quantified, is astounding. Low health literacy costs the U.S. more than $58 billion annually and nearly half the U.S. adult population (90 million people) fall into the low or basic health literacy category. Countless common medical errors can be prevented if the gap in health literacy is addressed.

To read the full article for free, click here.

Source: HealthLeaders Media



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