In honor of Health Literacy Month, the ADL is highlighting an article about how the concept of health literacy has expanded to address different ways that patients interact with health systems.

The updated definition of health literacy in Healthy People 2030 points out the ways that health organizations are responsible for making their information accessible and understandable, as an essential part of health literacy.

To learn more, check out the ADL’s October 15 Highlighted Resource: Updating Health Literacy for Healthy People 2030: Defining Its Importance for a New Decade in Public Health

The Northwest AHEC Practice Support Team supports social, physical, and economic environments which promote attaining the full potential of health and well-being for all. This blog segment highlights impactful publications which promote improved health outcomes through Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) each month.

Our featured report this month discusses reducing disparities in health care.

Reducing disparities in health care. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/patient-support-advocacy/reducing-disparities-health-care. October 23, 2023. Accessed November 12, 2024

In this article, the AMA aims to enhance health outcomes and reduce inequities across all patient populations. They also agreed to raise awareness of health imbalances and the importance of understanding culturally competent health care and health literacy by working with state medical societies, medical schools, medical students and policymakers. 

Do the caregivers of hospitalized children understand how to administer the children's medication after returning home?

A recent study of 87 primary care encounters found that providers used at least 1 type of medical jargon without explaining it to patients in nearly 80% of appointments, with an average of more than 4 uses of jargon per visit. Fewer than half of the terms were explained, and overall, providers used a jargon term about once every 4 minutes!