Navigational health literacy among people with chronic illness

2022 ◽  
pp. 174239532110733
Author(s):  
Lennert Griese ◽  
Doris Schaeffer ◽  
Eva-Maria Berens
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Functional Health Literacy ◽  
Care System

Objectives People with chronic illness are particularly dependent on navigating and using the health care system. This requires navigational health literacy (HL-NAV). The article aims to examine the distribution and predictors of HL-NAV in a sample of chronically ill individuals. Methods Data of 1,105 people with chronic illness from the general population in Germany were collected in December 2019 and January 2020. HL-NAV was assessed by 12 items (score 0–100). Bivariate and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. Results HL-NAV score was 39.1 (SD 27.3). In bivariate analyses, HL-NAV was lower among chronically ill persons aged 65 or above, with low education, limited functional health literacy, low social status, financial deprivation, poor social support, multiple chronic conditions, and an illness duration of 6–10 years. In multivariate analyses, advanced age, lower education, less functional health literacy, lower social status, and less social support remained associated with lower HL-NAV. Discussion The results underline the importance of promoting HL-NAV among people with chronic illness. Strategies should aim at strengthening individual competencies taking into account the social and situational factors but also at reducing the demands placed on chronically ill people by providing user-friendly and trustworthy information on the health care system along the illness trajectory.

The importance of health literacy for self-management: A scoping review of reviews

2021 ◽  
pp. 174239532110354
Author(s):  
Marieke van der Gaag ◽  
Monique Heijmans ◽  
Cristina Spoiala ◽  
Jany Rademakers
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Medical Management ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Limited Health Literacy ◽  
Limited Health ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Care System

Objectives Self-management of chronic diseases is rather complex, especially for patients with limited health literacy. In this review, we aim to disentangle the specific difficulties patients with limited health literacy face in relation to self-management and their associated needs with respect to self-management support. Methods We performed a literature search in five databases. We used a broad definition of health literacy and self-management was categorized into four types of activities: medical management, changing lifestyle, communicating and navigating through the health care system and coping. Included reviews described the relationship between health literacy and different domains of self-management and were published after 2010. Results A total of 28 reviews were included. Some clear difficulties of patients with limited health literacy emerged, predominantly in the area of medical management (especially adherence), communication and knowledge. Other associations between health literacy and self-management were inconclusive. Barriers from the patients’ perspective described mainly medical management and the communication and navigation of the health care system. Discussion Patients with limited health literacy experience difficulties with specific domains of self-management. For a better understanding of the relationship between health literacy and self-management, a broader conceptualization of health literacy is warranted, including both cognitive and behavioural aspects.

Race and Blackness: A Thematic Review of Communication Challenges Confronting the Black Community Within the U.S. Health Care System

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Comfort Tosin Adebayo ◽  
Kimberly Walker ◽  
Maren Hawkins ◽  
Oluwatoyin Olukotun ◽  
Leslie Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Cultural Safety ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Communication Challenges ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Care System

Effective communication is integral to the patient–provider relationship. Yet, as a result of structural factors that ignore the unique health care needs of different populations of patients who identify as Black—both African American and African immigrants—are confronted with communication challenges during health care seeking encounters. Using cultural safety as a framework, in this article, we thematically review communication challenges specifically experienced by patients of African descent in the U.S. health care system. In our review, we focus on complications that might arise from discrimination, mistrust, health literacy, and impacts of culture and language barriers on health literacy. In conclusion, we offer recommendations for improving the health care experiences and potential health outcomes for this population, through nursing care and health care delivery.

Shaping a New Health Care System: The Explosion of Chronic Illness as a Catalyst for Change.

1989 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 944
Author(s):  
Judith K. Barr ◽  
Anselm Strauss ◽  
Juliet M. Corbin
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Care System

scholarly journals Does higher health literacy lead to higher trust in public hospitals?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Bertram ◽  
Urs Steiner Brandt ◽  
Rikke Klitten Hansen ◽  
Gert Tinggaard Svendsen
Keyword(s):  
Game Theory ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Public Hospitals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Care System

Abstract Background: Does higher health literacy lead to higher trust in public hospitals? Existing literature suggests that this is the case since a positive association between the level of health literacy and the level of trust in physicians and the health care system has been shown. This study aims to challenge this assumption. Methods: Based on theoretical arguments from game theory and analysis of empirical data, we argue that the association is better described as an inversely u-shaped curve, suggesting that low and high levels of health literacy lead to a lower level of trust than a medium level of health literacy does. The empirical analysis is based on a study of the Danes’ relationship to the overall health care system. More than 6,000 Danes have been asked about their overall expectations of the health service, their concrete experiences and their attitudes to a number of change initiatives. Results: Game theory analysis show that the combined perceived cooperation and benefit effects can explain an inversely u-shaped relationship between social groups and trust in the health care system. Based on quantitative, binary regression analyses of empirical data, the lowest degree of trust is found among patients from the lowest and highest social groups, while the highest degree of trust is found in the middle group. The main driver for this result is that while patients having low health literacy perceive that the health care system is not cooperative, patients with a high level of health literacy have high expectations about the quality, which the health care system might not be able to provide. This reduces the perceived benefit from their encounter with the health care system. Conclusion: It is important that health care professionals understand that some patient groups have a higher chance of cooperation (e.g., agreeing on the choice of treatment) or defection (e.g. passing a complaint) than others. In perspective, future research should undertake further qualitative examinations of possible patient types and their demands in relation to different health care sectors, focusing specifically on the opportunities to improve the handling of different patient types.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Functional Health Literacy, Self-Rated Health, and Social Support between Younger and Older Adults in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 3188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmore Amoah
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Functional Health Literacy ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
The Impact

It is well established that health literacy positively affects health outcomes, and social support influences this association. What remains unclear is which aspect of social support (instrumental, informational, and emotional support) is responsible for this effect and whether the influence differs from one population group to another. This study addresses these lacunae. It examines the impact each type of support makes on the relation between functional health literacy (FHL) and self-rated health status among younger and older adults in Ghana. Data were pooled from two cross-sectional surveys, together comprising 521 participants in the Ashanti Region. The results indicated that young adults were more likely to possess sufficient FHL and perceive their health more positively than older adults. While FHL was positively associated with health status, the relation was stronger when young adults received a high level of emotional support. Among older persons, informational support substantially moderated the association between FHL and health status. Thus, social support modifies the relations between FHL and health status among younger and older adults in different ways and to different degrees. Therefore, interventions to improve FHL and health amongst younger and older adults should pay due regard to relevant aspects of social support.

Searching and dealing, confirmation and feeling – Participants’ approaches to learning in a health education setting

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-336
Author(s):  
Georg Førland ◽  
Charlotte Silèn ◽  
Monica Eriksson ◽  
Karin C Ringsberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Health Education Programme ◽  
Care System

Objective: Health care is far from reaching the goal of people being part of their own care, and research is lacking on how to understand their perspective. This study explores people’s intentions with the act of learning before attending a health education programme at a Learning and Mastery Centre (LMC) in Norway. The aim of this study was to understand participants’ learning strategies for learning about their own health care in a health education setting. Methods: Data were collected through five group interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Findings revealed that participants’ intentions of how and what to learn were influenced by their life experiences and interactions with the health care system. Three main categories of experience emerged: (1) sharing experiences, (2) second opinion and (3) capturing the news, brought together under the comprehensive theme: searching and dealing, confirmation and feeling, which reflects the underlying meaning of the categories. Conclusion: Results encourage us to see learning as an active construction process underpinned by health literacy, including both people’s competencies and the health care system. If LMCs and similar health education initiatives are to make an important contribution to improving people’s health literacy, significant attention should be given in the planning and implementation of initiatives.

scholarly journals Complementary Medicine Health Literacy among a Population of Older Australians Living in Retirement Villages: A Mixed Methods Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline A. Smith ◽  
Esther Chang ◽  
Suzanne Brownhill ◽  
Kylie Barr
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Complementary Medicine ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Complementary Medicines ◽  
Health Literacy Questionnaire ◽  
Care System

Background. Older Australians are consumers of high levels of complementary medicines. The aim of this study was to examine health literacy in a population of older Australians related to their use of complementary medicine.Methods. A two-phase sequential mixed method design incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods was used in this study. The first phase consisted of a cross-sectional survey using a validated health literacy questionnaire and follow-up interviews with 11 residents of retirement villages. Interviews explored low scoring domains on the health literacy questionnaire.Results. Health literacy competencies scored higher for the domains ofhaving sufficient information to manage their health; felt understood and supported by health care providers; actively managed their health; and having social support for health. Three health literacy domains scored low includingappraisal of health information; ability to find good information;andnavigating the health care system.The findings suggest that participants had different experiences navigating the health care system to access information and services relating to complementary medicines. Two themes of “trust” and “try and see” provide insight into how this group of older Australians appraised health information in relation to complementary medicines.Conclusions. With a focus on self-care there is a need for improved health literacy skills.

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