(DOWNLOAD) "Meeting the Challenges of Health Literacy: The Medical Communicator's Role" by Sharon Nancekivell ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Meeting the Challenges of Health Literacy: The Medical Communicator's Role
- Author : Sharon Nancekivell
- Release Date : January 01, 2010
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 65 KB
Description
Health literacy, the ability to access, read, understand, and act on basic health information, is a complex, pervasive problem. According to Pleasant, (1) health literacy is a "complex, social determinant of health." Only about 1 of every 10 American adults 16 to 65 years of age has proficient health literacy. (2) Sadly, their low health literacy skills can have a devastating effect on their health. Studies show that people with low health literacy skills have worse health outcomes, greater likelihood and severity of disease, less knowledge about health care services, and use fewer preventive measures such as screening. (3,4) Mortality for this population is also higher. (5) The most important predictor of proficient health literacy, according to a Canadian health literacy study, (6) is daily reading; the second most important, level of education. Proficient health literacy, however, involves more than the fundamental literacy skills of individual adults. Citing the Institute of Medicine Committee on Health Literacy (7) and the Healthy People 2010 Action Plan,8 Rudd et al9 point to the need for change in the health literacy behaviors of health professionals and the health care system as integral to improving health literacy.