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Writer's pictureDerrick K. Mobley MD

Health Literacy - The Importance of Understanding the Language of Healthcare



Physicians are educated and trained to use words, phrases and concepts that are unfamiliar to the average patient. Additionally, the practice of healthcare has been reoriented to satisfy business standards often at the expense of quality patient care. Because of limited time for patient encounters imposed by this encroaching business model of healthcare, clear communication is paramount to achieve positive outcomes from patient encounters.


Health is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) as the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to form healthy decisions and actions for themselves and others. It encompasses reading, comprehending and analyzing information, instructions, symbols, charts and diagrams; weighing risk and benefits; and ultimately making decisions and taking action(HHS).


With so much health information available from Internet sources, it can be a formidable challenge to process and understand what is factual versus what is being promoted purely for financial gain. It is estimated that only 4% of adults in the USA have the health literacy skills needed to manage the demands of our complex health care system according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality(AHRQ). The 2000 census revealed that 30 million Americans speak poor English and 10 million speak no English at all.


When you visit your healthcare provider,

communication should be clear, simple and unambiguous. Ordered tests should be fully explained, diagnoses interpreted to your level of satisfaction and comprehension, and treatment, especially medication prescriptions, should be discussed regarding their benefit and potential harmful side effects. It is an excellent practice to repeat what you have been told by your healthcare provider to ensure that the two of you are communicating effectively.


Ideally your primary care provider should be discussing how to prevent treat and potentially reverse the noninfectious chronic diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes, heart disease, stroke and obesity. These are the medical conditions that are consuming 80% of all healthcare dollars in the country today and negatively impacting the quality of our lives and causing premature disability and death. I will write more on this immensely important topic in a future blog.



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