Kentucky providers are placing the most focus on populations that may not understand brochures or their diagnosis. Federal data estimates that low health literacy costs the nation up to $238 billion per year.
Liz Edghill, director of refugee and immigrant services for Family Health Centers in Louisville, said understanding brochures, charts, screenings, and knowing how to use key medical tools are all examples of health literacy.
"Sometimes people will conflate it with literacy, like the ability to read and write, and that does have to do with this," Edghill explained. "But there's also numerical literacy and just health information and jargon. So it's a little more complex than just the ability to read."
According to data from the Harvard TH Chan School for Public Health, health literacy levels have dropped to record lows for American teens. They are dropping for American adults as well.
Edghill added that poor health literacy can cause people to delay preventive care or take their medications incorrectly.
"That might mean higher mortality, increased hospital use, definitely increased emergency department use," Edghill outlined.
Health Literacy Kentucky, a statewide coalition, has developed a series of materials aimed at helping clinicians improve understanding and comprehension in the health care setting, which is available online.
