Health Literacy Expanded--A Necessary Component for Employee Orientation and Development Programs:A Problem-Solving Strategy for the 21st Century

Health Literacy refers not only to the ability to read, but the ability to understand the basic forms in a healthcare environment. According to the AMA, poor health literacy is a "stronger predictor of a person's health than age, income, employment, status, education level and race". Due to the economic consequences resulting from this problem, effective measures must be implemented to find a resolution. Annual losses associated with health literacy account for $73 billion dollars of additional health costs. Healthy People 2010, objective 11-2, proposes that educational programs may be the source to target this crisis.

It is imperative that health professionals utilize health literacy and incorporate appropriate literacy communication techniques into their daily healthcare regimens. Reviews of health professional programs have verified that few programs emphasize this component in their program competencies. Therefore, it is necessary that health literacy be included in orientation sessions and development/continuing education programs for practitioners in order to increase program compliance and effectiveness. The benefits of designing such programs with health literacy as a main concern can effectively reduce the persistent need of medical care for reason of perception.

This session will review the importance of Health Literacy/Clear Health Communication Skills as a necessary component of safe, quality, patient-centered health care for employee orientation and development programs. Following a lecture/discussion, interactive exercises will enable participants to learn and practice specific techniques that can be implementd in their programs to improve the care of all clients, including those of limited health literacy.