{"id":6598,"date":"2021-01-19T09:05:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T14:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=6598"},"modified":"2021-01-21T09:48:37","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T14:48:37","slug":"how-pharmaceutical-industry-can-improve-health-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2021\/01\/19\/how-pharmaceutical-industry-can-improve-health-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How Pharmaceutical Industry Can Improve Health Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you are a patient or an employer providing healthcare benefits, you may feel that the quality of our healthcare delivery system is under threat. But how? Lost amidst concerns about rising healthcare costs, increasingly limited access to healthcare providers, and the ongoing opioid epidemic is a hidden threat to public health that is putting the lives of 77 million people \u2014 one in three Americans \u2014 at risk. What is it? Lack of basic Health Literacy<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Widespread Is The Problem Of Health Literacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a question that the US Department of Education wanted to find out in their groundbreaking study of the Health Literacy of America\u2019s Adults<\/a>.   More than 19,000 people aged 16 and over were asked questions about common health-related vocabulary, the typical structure of written health materials, and the workings of the healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results were not encouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on the sample survey, eight million people in the US would not be able to read the label of a bottle of cough medicine to find out what to do in the case of an overdose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar poor results were found when asking respondents to read an instruction sheet explaining that they need to avoid eating food or drinking liquids starting the night before a diagnostic X-ray procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On average, only 58% could accurately read a chart to find out how many polio vaccine doses a child should have by the time they are seven years old. But among those with only basic<\/em> or below basic<\/em> literacy, the results were far worse<\/em>. Only 22% of respondents with basic literacy skills could answer the vaccine question correctly. Among those with below basic literacy, the percentage of correct answer dropped to just 5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the bottom line?   When it comes to good health, millions of Americans seem to have lost the plot. Researchers found that one in three of us (77 million people) aren\u2019t able to read or follow necessary instructions to make critical healthcare decisions.   According to the survey, only about 12% of us command a level of health literacy<\/a> that allows us to make informed decisions about our healthcare<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Healthcare Providers Can Help Overcome Healthcare Illiteracy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s healthcare providers face an extraordinary challenge to provide quality healthcare within a system that often leaves them with little time for face-to-face communication with patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the survey of Health Literacy of America\u2019s Adults (mentioned at the beginning of this article) reveals that many patients, particularly those with basic or below basic literacy, rely heavily on verbal or visual communication to receive their medical information. In other words, traditional written materials, such as disease guides, are not that effective for a large population of patients. Face-to-face time (or telephone consultations) is better at communicating important healthcare information, such as treatment plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s once why the federal Agency for Health Research and Quality created their Universal Precautions Toolkit<\/a> to help primary care providers communicate more effectively with their patients at different health literacy levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here Are Some Other Important Ways That Healthcare Providers Can Help Bridge The Healthcare Literacy Gap:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n