Health Literacy is linked to Literacy and includes the knowledge, motivations and skills to agree, understand, evaluate and apply information about Health, in order to make judgments and take decisions about Health Care in everyday life, as well as to prevent disease, promote health and maintain or improve quality of life throughout the life cycle.With this, Health Literacy influences people's Health, as well as safety and quality of health care. In 2016, the WHO elected the subject as the main key factor in the promotion of Health and it is cited in studies as the sixth vital sign of Health. In a context where chronic diseases and sources of information on Health are growing, looking at how people interact with information and how Health professionals explain it in a way that facilitates patients' understanding is fundamental for the efficiency and effectiveness of treatments. Understanding Health can significantly influence a patient's prognosis and quality of life. patient. It can be said that the limit of Health goes as far as people's understanding. The ability to understand Health involves a set of 4 main factors: • Cultural and conceptual knowledge of health; • Knowing how to talk and listen about health; • Understanding what is read and knowing how to write about health; • The ability to reason and apply numbers in health decisions.
Cultural and conceptual knowledge of health
Having knowledge about Health allows the search for a healthy life that will result in the prevention of diseases and self-care that is influenced by education, family, work environment, community and social communication.- Listen to guidance during the consultation;
- Compare foods while shopping;
- Watch health programs on TV;
- Finding information on the internet and judging whether it is reliable or not;
- Choose a health plan;
- Choose, together with health professionals, the treatment to be followed for chronic diseases, etc.
Know how to talk and listen about health
In the communication process, health professionals are channels between scientific studies and people seeking this knowledge. However, unfortunately, studies show that Health professionals overestimate what patients understand in fact, what was presented to them. In view of this, the theme of Health Literacy helps to build a truly more effective and humane Health. For this to happen naturally, one must set aside the imposition of standards, even in learning, and understand each patient so that communication happens effectively and pleasantly with each person. One of the main barriers to communication is related to the difficulty patients have in speaking openly with Health professionals. That's why it's essential to create an environment of trust. Knowing how to deal with information to make appropriate decisions about your health directly involves the interaction between professionals, patients and health institutions. Health literacy is influenced by individual factors and those of those who disseminate information.
Therefore, regardless of the level of cognitive skill set and social competencies a person has, they will encounter barriers in their Health journey. Navigating the current healthcare landscape involves using many capabilities. The information is there, but it is difficult to decipher it. Active listening is a skill, it is listening carefully and showing that you are paying attention. In healthcare, it is important for the person speaking to know that their complaints are being heard and taken into consideration. When we talk about verbal communication, the main problems reported are:
- Inadequate explanation of diagnosis and treatment,
- The patient reports feeling ignored.
- The professional ignores or does not understand the patient's and family's perspective.
- Teach-back (ping-pong technique): Assesses what the person understood from what was taught without causing embarrassment, consists of asking the person to explain in their own words what was taught.
- Ask-me 3 (3 questions for me): This technique encourages the person to ask, and the professional to answer, there are three basic questions:
- What do I have?
- What should I do? (regarding my problem)
- Why is it important for me to do this?
