Emphasizing Health Literacy in Nursing Education: Equipping Nursing Students with Literacy Skills to Improve Patient Outcomes

Abstract

Nine out of 10 adults in the United States are said to have low health literacy skills. In a national Danish study, four out of ten adults were found to have problems addressing complex health issues. Factors associated with low health literacy include advanced age, diverse cultural backgrounds, marital status, low socioeconomic class, and limited education. Low health literacy skills contribute to negative patient outcomes which include increased morbidity and mortality. They are economical and societal consequences for poor health literacy. There is also increased burden on the United States healthcare system as low health literacy adds additional $106-$238 billion costs to health care systems. Health professionals should be alert to the warning signs of low health literacy in at risk populations. Nursing academia is perfectly positioned to proactively address health literacy levels by incorporating creative lesson plans into the undergraduate curriculum.