Educating Nursing Students about Health Literacy: From the Classroom to the Patient Bedside

Abstract

All nurses and nursing students today must be able assess patients for health literacy limitations and intervene to assure patient understanding of important health information. In this article the authors discuss the significance of the health literacy problem and share strategies for identifying and intervening with patients who have limited health literacy. They also describe how they incorporated health literacy content into their nursing education program and assessed the impact of this brief, health literacy education session. The analysis and results of this assessment indicated both a significant increase in student knowledge related to health literacy and the need for nurses to assess more fully patients’ understanding of what they have been taught. Patient initiative in asking for assistance in understanding health-related information was limited. Discussion and implications of these findings for nursing education and nursing practice are provided.

Are We Missing the Mark? Understanding Health Literacy in A Rural-Border Hospital

“…This assessment gap demonstrates that it is not enough to consistently identify patients with LHL without a formal health literacy assessment, a need highlighted by Dickens et al (2013). Second, academic health profession programs have been slow to incorporate health literacy concepts in their curriculum despite the increasing recognition of the impact of health literacy and other determinants of health on patient outcomes (Sand-Jecklin et al, 2010; Scott, 2016). While RNs consider patient education vital, limited time is dedicated to preparing future nurses with the necessary skills to deliver effective health education when patients have low levels of education.…”

Determining Diabetes Risk and Health Literacy Levels in Individuals Aged 45 and Above: A Descriptive Correlational Study

“…The steady advances made in informatics technologies brings with it the ensuing modernization of health services and also the need to improve the health literacy (HL) of individuals seeking these services (10). In order to benefit from health services, individuals must be familiar with many digital applications that enable them to get a doctor's appointment, schedule an examination, procure the prescribed medications, all of which fall into the realm of HL (11).…”