How Health Literate Are You? – Understanding the Language of Health

Health literacy is a very important skill to have. It involves understanding and effectively utilising the healthcare resources available to you as a patient. These skills can lead to better-informed decisions regarding your health and the health of those you care about.

A grasp of basic health literacy can help you communicate better your concerns and questions effectively with medical professionals, and lets you differentiate between credible and non-credible health-related information online. 

There are common variables which can impact your health literacy through no fault of your own. They depend on individual and system factors. These variables include your economic status, age, level of education, and possession of cognitive impairments. As the World Health Organization explains, capacity and competence related to health literacy vary according to context, culture, and setting. When these healthcare services or systems require knowledge or a language level that is too high for the user, health can suffer.

Raising public understanding of healthcare literacy is the responsibility of medical professionals and the government. However, individuals can also take action to improve their own skills. Steps a person can take to improve health literacy skills include: 

• Writing down or recording information for medical professionals
• Communicating with medical professionals to speak in simpler language
• Asking questions when something is unclear
• Ensure you know who to call if there are any questions following an appointment. 
• Being actively aware of patient resources available 

In modern times, your health literacy is linked to your digital literacy, as many health resources are online.  Consider taking classes on digital literacy that might be offered through your local library or another reputable organization. 

If you struggle with medical vocabulary or jargon concerning your own or your loved one’s illness, attending health education programs hosted at local hospitals, public or hospital libraries, community centers, or faith-based organizations can be beneficial.

Finally, note that building healthcare literacy skills is a lifelong process and that no one can be up to date all the time. Thus, it’s important to keep an open mind about what you might not know and what resources you can refer to. Health literacy is an important skill to have. With enough information, one can effectively unpack their medical concerns and work with medical professionals to ensure that they are receiving the type of care and treatment most appropriate to their situation.

For more videos and resources like this, check out our Learning Academy, or attend our patient advocacy through Zoom workshops for Northern Ireland and Los Angeles. These workshops provide knowledge helpful to anyone in the world.

Our Online Peer to Peer Events include more videos related to this topic.

Written by Emily Linehan.