Capital Health Care NetworkProviding Higher Quality Care
by Promoting Health Literacy

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic healthcare information which leads to the ability to make appropriate healthcare decisions.

Many people, and not just those with limited reading skills or for whom English is a second language, have trouble understanding basic healthcare information and directive. According to the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, nearly 9 out of 10 adults have difficulty using routine healthcare information. That’s probably because providers use complex, confusing terminology and language when sharing information. At Capital Health Home Care, we believe health literacy starts with simplified, effective communication and continues when we encourage our patients to ask questions.

When people struggle to understand healthcare information, they are more likely to skip necessary medical tests, miss appointments and visit the urgent care, emergency room and hospital. They are also more likely to make mistakes with their medications.

We encourage patients to take ownership in their recovery and wellness by teaching and talking in ways that make sense to the patient. We teach patients how to better manage their condition or conditions so that they can get back to living life on their terms. Our focus is to promote shared understanding of expectations, disease processes and restoration. Here’s what we can do for our patients…

Problem Solving: We teach skills sets to help patients recognize, monitor & react to early symptoms that identify exacerbation.
Action Planning: We help patients develop strategies for making and keeping commitments to change unhealthy behavior.
Teach-Back: We ask patients to repeat back what we have taught to ensure that we have done our job at conveying information in a way they understand.

Contact your local Capital Health Home Care provider to learn more today!