Author: Institute of Medicine Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309139805 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 142
Book Description
Health literacy-the ability for individuals to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services to facilitate appropriate health decisions-is increasingly recognized as an important facet of health care and health outcomes. Although research on health literacy has grown tremendously in the past decade, there is no widely agreed-upon framework for health literacy as a determinant of health outcomes. Most instruments focus on assessing an individual's health literacy, yet the scope of health literacy reaches far beyond an individual's skills and abilities. Health literacy occurs in the context of the health care system, and therefore measures of health literacy must also assess the demands and complexities of the health care systems with which patients interact. For example, measures are needed to determine how well the system has been organized so that it can be navigated by individuals with different levels of health literacy and how well health organizations are doing at making health information understandable and actionable. To examine what is known about measures of health literacy, the Institute of Medicine convened a workshop. The workshop, summarized in this volume, reviews the current status of measures of health literacy, including those used in the health care setting; discusses possible surrogate measures that might be used to assess health literacy; and explores ways in which health literacy measures can be used to assess patient-centered approaches to care.
Author: Institute of Medicine Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309133319 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 366
Book Description
To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today's complex modern health systems. This information may be provided in a variety of forms â€" ranging from a discussion between a patient and a health care provider to a health promotion advertisement, a consent form, or one of many other forms of health communication common in our society. Yet millions of Americans cannot understand or act upon this information. To address this problem, the field of health literacy brings together research and practice from diverse fields including education, health services, and social and cultural sciences, and the many organizations whose actions can improve or impede health literacy. Health Literacy: Prescription to End Confusion examines the body of knowledge that applies to the field of health literacy, and recommends actions to promote a health literate society. By examining the extent of limited health literacy and the ways to improve it, we can improve the health of individuals and populations.
Author: Sarah Ahrens Publisher: Frank & Timme GmbH ISBN: 373290895X Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 235
Book Description
Recent studies show that more than half of the German population have difficulties in accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health information, thus giving accessibility in health communication new traction. This volume links research and practice in the areas of accessible communication, health information and health literacy. The articles focus on these fields from a methodological, text and/or user perspective. The authors examine how to improve accessibility of research methods and how to adapt existing methods to answer questions about accessibility of health information. They discuss accessibility of text types and link accessibility to individual, organisational and professional health literacy. Contributions also give insight to the implementation of Easy and Plain Language in health information. All articles stem from different fields: in bringing them together, this volume fosters interdisciplinary exchange to communicate accessible health information and methods to specific vulnerable target groups.
Author: Terri Ann Parnell Publisher: Springer Publishing Company ISBN: 0826161723 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 322
Book Description
Promotes verbal and written communication strategies that nurses can use to effectively meet the individualized needs of an increasingly diverse patient population in an effort to enhance patient-provider communication across the entire continuum of care.
Author: Management Association, Information Resources Publisher: IGI Global ISBN: 1668424150 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 663
Book Description
Increasing health literacy among patients is a difficult task as medical jargon and healthcare directions can be overwhelming and difficult to comprehend. In today’s digital world, people are more connected than ever before and have the ability to find healthcare information in a way that was not possible in recent years. Mass media and social media have become particularly influential in conveying health information to the public. With the amount of misinformation being spread, coupled with poor health literacy skills, it is imperative that new strategies and policies are undertaken to ensure that patients and the general public receive accurate information and are appropriately educated in order to provide them with the best possible knowledge and care. The Research Anthology on Improving Health Literacy Through Patient Communication and Mass Media provides an overview of the importance of health literacy and the various means to achieve health literacy for patients using several strategies and elements such as patient communication and mass media. The book covers health awareness challenges that have been faced recently and historically and pushes for better patient-provider communication. The book also examines the use of social media, virtual support groups, and technological tools that aid in the facilitation of health knowledge. Covering a range of key topics such as patient safety, health illiteracy, and eHealth, this anthology is crucial for healthcare professionals, researchers, academicians, students, and those interested in understanding the importance of health literacy and how it connects to media and communication.
Author: Institute of Medicine Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 030925681X Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 122
Book Description
Approximately 80 million adults in the United States have low health literacy - an individual's ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information. Low health literacy creates difficulties in communicating with clinicians, poses barriers in managing chronic illness, lessens the likelihood of receiving preventive care, heightens the possibility of experiencing serious medication errors, increased risk of hospitalization, and results in poorer quality of life. It is important for health care organizations to develop strategies that can improve their health literacy, yet organizations often find it difficult to determine exactly what it means to be health literate. How Can Health Care Organizations Become More Health Literate?: Workshop defines a health literate health care organization as "an organization that makes it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health." In November 2011, the IOM Roundtable on Health Literacy held a workshop to discuss the growing recognition that health literacy depends not only on individual skills and abilities but also on the demands and complexities of the health care system. How Can Health Care Organizations Become More Health Literate?: Workshop summarizes the workshop.
Author: Who Regional Office for Europe Publisher: ISBN: 9789289000154 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 85
Book Description
As societies grow more complex and people are increasingly bombarded with health information and misinformation, health literacy becomes essential. People with strong health literacy skills enjoy better health and well-being, while those with weaker skills tend to engage in riskier behavior and have poorer health. With evidence from the recent European Health Literacy Survey, this report identifies practical and effective ways public health and other sector authorities and advocates can strengthen health literacy in a variety of settings, including educational settings, workplaces, marketplaces, health systems, new and traditional media and political arenas. The report can be used as a tool for spreading awareness, stimulating debate and research and, above all, for informing policy development and action.
Author: Monica Murero Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136683704 Category : Computers Languages : en Pages : 440
Book Description
The Internet and Health Care: Theory, Research, and Practice presents an in-depth introduction to the field of health care and the Internet, from international and interdisciplinary perspectives. It combines expertise in the areas of the social sciences, medicine, policy, and systems analysis. With an international collection of contributors, it provides a current examination of key issues and research projects in the area. Methods and data used in the chapters include personal interviews, focus groups, observations, regional and national surveys, online transcript analysis, and much more. Sections in the book cover: *e-Health trends and theory; *searching, discussing, and evaluating online health information at the individual level of analysis; *discussing health information at the group or community level; and *implementing health information systems at the regional and social level. The Internet and Health Care will prove useful for university educators and students in the social, public health, and medical disciplines, including Internet researchers. It is also oriented to professionals in many disciplines who will appreciate an integrative theoretical, empirical, and critical analysis of the subject matter, including developers and providers of online health information.
Author: Okan, Orkan Publisher: Policy Press ISBN: 1447344537 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 768
Book Description
Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Health literacy addresses a range of social dimensions of health, including knowledge, navigation and communication, as well as individual and organizational skills for accessing, understanding, evaluating and using information. Particularly over the past decade, health literacy has globally become a major public health concern as an asset for promoting health, wellbeing and sustainable development. This comprehensive handbook provides an invaluable overview of current international thinking about health literacy, highlighting cutting edge research, policy and practice in the field. With a diverse team of contributors, the book addresses health literacy across the life-span and offers insights from different populations and settings. Providing a wide range of major findings, the book outlines current discourse in the field and examines necessary future dialogues and new perspectives.
Author: Institute of Medicine
Author: Institute of Medicine
Author: Sarah Ahrens
Author: 
Author: Terri Ann Parnell
Author: Management Association, Information Resources
Author: Institute of Medicine
Author: Who Regional Office for Europe
Author: Monica Murero
Author: Okan, Orkan