What is health literacy education and why should corrections facilities and their healthcare partners promote it?
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and retain basic health information needed to make appropriate decisions and to secure required services. Health-literate individuals are better able to understand instructions on prescription drug bottles, appointment slips, medical education brochures, doctors’ directions and consent forms, and negotiate complex healthcare systems. Individuals with limited health literacy incur medical expenses that are up to four times greater than patients with adequate literacy skills, costing the healthcare system billions of dollars every year in unnecessary doctor visits and hospital stays.20 Correctional healthcare services and correctional programming can enhance individuals’ health literacy before they leave the facility; this is especially important for individuals with infectious diseases.
Related Questions
- Does the Partners for Literacy Curriculum meet different state guidelines or standards for preschool education?
- What are the interactive use of speaking, listening, reading to promote literacy development in pupils?
- What are some tools to teach patient health literacy and create user-friendly education materials?
