Health Literacy: Streamlining Health System (Essay Sample)

Health Literacy

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Health Literacy is a concept closely related to literacy. It is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions. It includes using the health care system, having cognitive dimensions such as memory and attention, and displaying adequate neurosensory capabilities such as vision and hearing. Indeed, Ayaz‐Alkaya et al (2020) posit that many people who experience literacy barriers would not experience such health limitations if the health care system were to be streamlined, simplified and standardized. Health literacy is therefore critical when examining health equalities and health inequalities.
Health literacy is associated with several health equalities such as Improved use of health services, healthy beliefs and healthy health behaviors, confidence, and resilience in health settings, among others.
Improved use of health services
People with high levels of health literacy and appropriate patterns of health service users can secure appropriate treatment. When less sick, they visit the health cares: are more likely to use emergency services: use preventive services and incur lower health care costs (Ayaz‐Alkaya et al, 2020).
Health knowledge, Health beliefs, and health behaviors.
Health literate people can understand and carry out instructions for self-care. Their plans for lifestyle changes are often healthier. They can also include their families and relations to health care access, including emergencies when appropriate.
Confidence and resilience in health settings
Health literacy enables community members to benefit from pooled resources. This increases their know-how and participation in self-help groups and, as a result, dramatically improves the mental health of such people.
Health literacy aims at reducing inequalities. Limited health literacy is characterized by low health knowledge, increased chronic illnesses, and a less than optimal use of preventive services.
Firstly, health literacy encourages technology-supported communication to ensure meaningful information for people with limited health literacy. Second, it aims at abolishing the assumption of high health literacy. According to Ayaz‐Alkaya et al (2020), clinicians are encouraged to educate their patients. In agreement, Simonsen et al (2021) emphasize a teach-back where a patient is asked to state a care plan to provide additional information. In addition, health literacy promotes verbal presentations to support health information with evidence that it increases health knowledge and low literacy groups.
Health literacy also aims to use clear literature by simplifying materials using plain and direct language, pictures, and symbols. Besides, medicine labels that state the exact dosing times, as opposed to how many times a day have been put up to improve understanding and help eliminate health inequalities. Lastly Simonsen et al (2021) note that health care systems have also established sign language interpreters to help in places of language barriers.
What is public health and its role in health care systems?
Health can be defined as a state of complete well-being in all aspects of life including mental health. The American Public Health Association states that Public health promotes and protects the health of people and communities where they work, live, learn and play. The common goal of public health is that it deals with the health of the population, in contrast to our clinical colleagues, who, in the first instance, are concerned with restoring, maintaining, and improving the health of the individual.
Public health aims at improving the health of the entire community with an emphasis on protection, prevention of disease, and promotion of well-being. Its key aims are population, prevention, and equity. Its essential skill is rooted in epidemiology which is the tool for understanding disease patterns, risk factors, and prevention and treatment activities. Public health monitors disease outbreaks, both acute and chronic, to prevent injuries and to understand the distribution of risk factors in our community.
Public health is a critical part of the more extensive health system in general as it is what we as a society do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. Simonsen et al (2021) indicate that it improves health outcomes for populations by achieving objectives of preventing disease and health consequences of environmental hazards and natural or man-made disasters, promoting behaviors that reduce the risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries, ensuring public access to quality health services.
Its programs include Maternal and Child Health, Specific Infectious Disease control, Non-communicable diseases, Reference laboratories, and Workforce Capacity development. Public health, therefore, plays a massive role in health care systems. Surveillance and epidemiology, Infectious