Let’s Talk About Building Health Literacy

You wouldn’t expect to speak fluent Italian just because you’re in Italy, would you? Learning the language of healthcare can be equally challenging.

At Arizona Care Network, we provide information to empower our patients to advocate for their own health. In order to take care of yourself and your family members, you need to understand health information and be prepared to ask the right questions.

Often, communication from healthcare providers is complex and hard to understand. This leaves us feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the healthcare system.

More than 77 million adults in the United States possess limited health literacy skills and will likely encounter difficulties interpreting and acting upon health information.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019

Clear health communication is essential to your safety. In honor of Health Literacy Month, we wanted to take a moment to spread awareness about what health literacy is, how it can affect your overall health and how you can get help if you (or a loved one) need it.

What is Health Literacy?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 says health literacy is the level to which a patient can obtain, communicate, process and understand basic health information to make appropriate health decisions.

How Can This Affect My Health?

According to the Health Sciences Library at UNC, health literacy issues may result in:

• Lack of knowledge and understanding about health conditions and services
• Inability to perform self-care tasks such as testing blood sugar or measuring cholesterol
• Difficulty understanding medication instructions, which can cause patients to take improper doses or not stick to their medications routinely
• Lower use of preventive care and services, which can cause a delayed diagnosis that is more severe and more expensive to treat
• Increased hospitalizations and healthcare costs
• Worse overall health outcomes and even increased death rates

If you are having trouble understanding your health conditions, cannot stick to your medication routine, or are not able to attend appointments for preventive care and services – you could be struggling with health literacy.

How to Get Help

• Open communication with your doctor is key. Choose a primary care provider who empowers you to ask questions and voice concerns. Following these four patient-primary care provider relationship goals could help you choose a primary care provider who works collaboratively with you.
• Online resources are available to help you navigate the complex world of healthcare.
  • Guide to getting and using your health records: Contains easy-to-read information on how to access your medical information, what is in your record, how to get copies and more!
  • SayAh!’s patient resources: SayAh! is a website that was created to provide tips and tools to improve health literacy for patients. The patient section of the website includes resources on your rights, making appointments, talking with your doctor, taking prescriptions and more!
• If you still need additional help, your doctor may refer you to ACN’s Care Coordination team of registered nurses, patient navigators, social workers, and behavioral health coaches who come together to help you better manage your healthcare.

The team can help you with anything from medication management to finding a provider in-network. This approach gives you the support you need to ensure low health literacy does not affect your overall well-being.

Our team walks alongside you, but ultimately, YOU have control over your care plan.

Interested in learning more or seeing if you are eligible for Care Coordination? Contact ACN’s concierge line at members@azcarenetwork.org.