Providing healthcare services for communities and families means working on multiple fronts to improve their well-being. Essential to this is helping them understand how to navigate services and comprehend the sometimes-complicated information shared by healthcare professionals.
Health literacy is obtaining, processing, and understanding basic health information and services. It significantly influences overall well-being, particularly for patients from lower-income households and those who speak English as a second language.
Amerigroup DC, which provides Medicaid services for nearly 70,000 Washington, D.C. residents, is committed to giving our members access to quality healthcare services and helping them improve their health outcomes and stay healthy. Health literacy is a crucial factor in this effort. By empowering individuals to make informed health decisions, health literacy can mitigate many Medicaid patients’ heightened challenges.
Low-income households often encounter barriers to healthcare access, including limited resources and lack of transportation. Improved literacy can bridge some of these gaps by empowering patients to understand medical instructions, navigate healthcare systems, and advocate for themselves. For instance, a patient who can comprehend prescription labels and follow-up care instructions is less likely to experience adverse health outcomes.
Literacy influences preventive health behaviors. Individuals who understand health-related materials are more likely to engage in such preventive measures as vaccinations, routine check-ups, and healthier lifestyle choices. They are also better equipped to recognize early symptoms of illnesses and seek medical help early on when necessary. This keeps minor health issues from escalating into severe conditions that require more complicated treatments.
Patients with low literacy skills are often embarrassed to disclose their difficulty reading and understanding medical information for fear of being stigmatized. These patients might avoid asking questions, even when they don’t fully understand instructions. They are also more likely to skip appointments to avoid situations where their literacy challenges might be exposed. This lack of openness and communication can lead to misdiagnoses, improper medication use, and overall poorer health outcomes.
By some estimates, the financial cost of poor health literacy in the United States is well over $100 billion annually, representing a significant portion of all personal healthcare expenditures. These costs result primarily from increased hospitalizations, unnecessary emergency room visits, and inefficient medication use due to a lack of understanding.
Higher healthcare utilization, longer hospital stays, poor medication adherence, missed preventive care, and inefficient healthcare system navigation also contribute to these higher costs.
Improved literacy fosters better communication between patients and their healthcare providers. An informed patient can accurately articulate symptoms, better understand a diagnosis, and effectively participate in decision-making. This not only improves care but also builds trust and confidence in the healthcare system.
Shared decision-making is a key component of patient-centered health care. Understanding and processing medical information allows patients to discuss options with healthcare professionals and make informed choices about their health. The benefits of this include:
● Empowerment – patients feel more in control of their health and treatment choices, leading to greater satisfaction.
● Better Outcomes – when patients are involved in decision-making, they are more likely to adhere to treatments, resulting in improved health outcomes.
● Trust – shared decision-making builds trust between patients and healthcare providers, fostering better relationships.
● Personalized care – it ensures that care is tailored to the patient’s values, preferences, and needs, making treatments more relevant and effective.
Promoting literacy among lower-income patients helps ensure equitable access to health information, empowers individuals to take control of their health, and contributes to the broader goal of reducing health disparities.
Adrian Jordan, a Washington, D.C., native, is CEO and president of Amerigroup DC, a managed care organization in the District of Columbia.