Health Literacy

Health literacy is the ability to understand and act on basic health information. Nearly half of all adults in the United States-90 million people - have trouble understanding and using health information.

Low health literacy affects a person's health status more than any other factor, including education, income, employment, or race. People may speak English well, yet still have low health literacy. People with low health literacy are less likely to seek preventive care and follow prescribed treatments. They tend to stay in the hospital longer than those with higher health literacy and are often ashamed to ask for help in making health care decisions.

In October 2007, Stratis Health presented one of its first Building Healthier Communities awards to the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership, a coalition of health care consumers and literacy groups that together with the state's health and social service agencies and provider organizations, educate providers and consumers about health literacy. With funding from the Building Healthier Communities award, the partnership works statewide to provide a greater awareness of health literacy-both with health care consumers and providers.

Stratis Health is committed to being a responsible and engaged community member. The Stratis Health Building Healthier Communities award supports health literacy and other important initiatives that have the potential to help grow an appreciation for the culture of health care quality in Minnesota.

Resources

Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership A coalition of health care consumers and literacy groups that together with the state's health and social service agencies and provider organizations, educate providers and consumers about health literacy. Read more about the work of this organization:

• Prescription Literacy White Paper: A Review of the Problem and Recommendations A briefing issued by the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership on problems patients have understanding how and when to take their prescription drugs, interactions with other drugs, and side effects. (7-page PDF)
• Making a Business Case for Health Literacy: A Template Creating a business case helps administrators and managers understand the financial and legal benefits of adopting an a health literacy proposal, as well as the negative implications of not of taking it on. (7-page PDF)
• Statewide Informed Consent Process: Background and Recommendations for Health Care An outline that describes how the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS), and others have helped address issues about informed consent what can be done to provide true informed consent throughout a health care organization. (9-page Word doc)

The American Medical Association Foundation Health Literacy Kit  Provides strategies to help people who struggle with low health literacy become a partner in their own health care.

Health Literacy - A Crisis in Health Care Provides an overview of health literacy with a self assessment for health care professionals. (PowerPoint)

Contact Stratis Health for assistance with your quality improvement and patient safety needs.

If your organization has projects it would like to work on, contact us to discuss how we can work together to support health literacy initiatives.

Mary Beth Dahl. program manager
952-853-8546