Health literacy and patient care
"Nothing -- not age, income, employment status, educational level, and racial or ethnic group --
affects health status more than literacy skills."
-- National Patient Safety Foundation
"Health literacy" is the ability to understand and act on health information. Unfortunately, nearly half of the US adult population has a low level of health literacy. Those with low health literacy:
- Are less likely to follow treatment instructions and seek preventive care
- Are also twice as likely to be hospitalized
Legacy is working to improve health literacy, so that we can provide even better care and help patients take care of themselves, while helping lower health care costs and reduce emergency room visits.
A call for CLEAR communication
In 2010, the US Department of Health and Human Services published "The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy" as a call to action across the nation. In the fall of 2010, Legacy established the CLEAR initiative.
CLEAR (Communication, Literacy and Education Achieve Results) is becoming a part of our culture as nearly every department affects patient care.
With CLEAR, Legacy's employees will discover and practice new ways of communicating with patients, such as:
- Plain language: Using one- to two-syllable words and short sentences, as in a conversation at home
- Teach Back: Asking patients to explain in their own words or show what they have been advised to do
- Ask Me 3: Prompting patients to ask and receive answers to these questions:
- What is my problem?
- What do I need to do?
- Why is it important for me to do this?
For more examples and further information about health literacy, watch this video from the American Medical Association on YouTube.
Save the date for our area's first-ever health literacy conference
At this first Oregon and SW Washington Health Literacy Conference, hosted by Legacy Health in partnership with local organizations, you'll hear national and local speakers share research and evidence-based practices. Learn how to increase health literacy and improve quality, safety and outcomes for all.
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