Low health literacy is a widespread barrier to quality healthcare.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to make informed healthcare decisions, but nearly 90% of American adults struggle with health literacy. There's no way to tell if someone has low health literacy by looking at them—even people with high prose literacy can struggle with health literacy.
Red flags for low health literacy include patients who:
Frequently miss appointments
Fail to follow through with referrals
Turn in incomplete or inaccurate forms
Have poor compliance with treatment plans
Are unable to explain treatment plans in their own words
Are unable to explain what their medication does or why they're taking medication
Have no or very few questions about their treatment plan
Low health literacy has a high human and financial cost.
Low health literacy puts people at risk of poor health outcomes. It's associated with:
Low patient engagement
Poor adherence to treatment plans
Medication errors
Missed preventative visits
Increased hospitalization rates
Higher healthcare costs
Higher mortality rates
Limited health literacy costs the U.S. healthcare system hundreds of billions annually—money that could be invested into medical staff, facilities, supplies, research, and access.
Health literacy is a case of "a rising tide lifts all boats." When health literacy is increased, the healthcare system can invest more money into increasing accessible, high-quality medical care for everyone.
Increasing health literacy has exponential benefits.
Healthcare decisions are often communal. Patients turn to their friends and family for health information, provider recommendations, feedback on treatment plans, and more.
Increasing health literacy has a positive ripple effect. When one person becomes more health literate, they give more accurate, relevant medical advice and can better help their loved ones navigate the healthcare system.