One of the challenges in nursing today is the ability of patients to process and understand the information provided to them, otherwise termed health literacy. According to Johnson (2017), health literacy is a measure of how easy or otherwise it is for individuals to access, process, and understand information about health and health services in order to make informed health decisions. Today, over 180 million Americans navigate their country’s health system complexities without adequate health literacy skills (Huff, 2017). Poor health literacy can translate into poor health outcomes. It is, therefore, necessary that health practitioners such as nurses help enhance patient health literacy.
In this age of the internet, there has developed a tendency of patients to be health information consumers rather than just its active recipients. Patients are consuming internet health information irrespective of their health literacy levels. According to McMullan (2006), patients search for information on the internet twice: firstly, prior to a clinical appointment to independently manage their own healthcare and decide whether professional help is necessary; and, secondly, after treatment to reassure themselves, or because they are dissatisfied with the detailed information health practitioners provide them with. The practice affects healthcare provision.
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Nurses and other healthcare practitioners tend to respond to internet-informed patients in three main ways (McMullan, 2006): (1) the information the patients bring instill in them a feeling of threat, and they assert their expert opinion defensively in response; (2) They collaborate with patients in acquiring and analyzing health information; and/or, (3) they guide patients to websites with informed and reliable health information. I have had similar experiences with patients, and most often used the first response. The second and third responses can contribute positively to healthcare provision where patients are health illiterate.
To help patients evaluate the credibility of internet sources that claim to provide health information, I would recommend the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health website (https://nccih.nih.gov/health/webresources) as a resource. The website provides detailed information in simple language on how to find and evaluate online resources. It would be helpful to patients as it would place them on the same footing as nurses and other health practitioners.
Osborne (2013) proposes four main strategies for assessing patient’s health literacy and ensuring that they fully understand the information provided by nurses or physicians: clear communication, confirmation of understanding, creativity in communication, and clarification and questions.
Communication should be so clear as to transcend traditional talking and writing methods. Osborne (2013) argues that health literacy occurs when patients and health providers fully understand each other. The key is to keep language simple, concise and accessible to the patient. The provider should also explain medical terms.
The provider should not assume that the patient has understood, but confirm that they have understood each other as intended. One way to confirm would be to be to employ teach back, in which case the patient and the provider exchange roles, and the former offers the same information provided to the latter.
Information should be conveyed to the patient in a creative manner to make it easy for them to decipher, digest, and absorb easily. Verbal language should be accompanied by illustrations like drawings, pictures, and objects. According to Osborne (2013), other than easy understanding, creativity improves patients’ memory of the information.
Lastly, nurses should seek to clarify where patients did not understand. They can identify those knowledge gaps by asking patients questions concerning health information they have provided. They should also ask patients if they have any questions. They should then answer patients using different wording and illustrations that they think patients would find easier to understand.
References
Johnston, N. J. (2017). The Effect of Health Literacy in Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration and Diabetes. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3895/
Huff, C. (2017). Does your Patient Really Understand? Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22111268
McMullan, M. (2006). Patients using the Internet to obtain health information: how this affects the patient–health professional relationship. Patient Education and Counseling , 63 (1-2), 24-28.
Osborne, H. (2013). HealtH literacy. Health literacy from A to Z: Practical ways to communicate your health message. 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning .
