Learning health literacy
19.02.2018 22:59
One in two people in Germany has limited health literacy: these individuals struggle to understand health-related information and use it appropriately. A team of experts from academia and practice, including Doris Schaeffer and Ullrich Bauer from Bielefeld University, Klaus Hurrelmann from the Hertie School of Governance, and Kai Kolpatzik from the AOK Federal Association, aims to address this with a "National Action Plan for Health Literacy.".
The plan comprises 15 concrete recommendations that involve all societal stakeholders and aim to make the healthcare system more user-friendly while also promoting individual health literacy. The "National Action Plan for Health Literacy" is based on an initiative by the participating scientists and is under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Health. The Robert Bosch Foundation and the AOK Federal Association supported the project.
Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe He said at the handover of the plan on February 19th in Berlin: „With the National Action Plan, we now have a scientific guideline that shows how health literacy in our country can be strengthened in education, nutrition, and the workplace, but also through more understandable communication between doctors and patients. The ‘Alliance for Health Literacy,‘ which we founded last year, is also committed to this goal. With the “National Action Plan for Health Literacy’ and the Alliance, we can achieve a great deal together with doctors, nurses, hospitals, health insurance companies, pharmacies, self-help and consumer organizations, as well as federal and state authorities!”
Increasing life expectancy, the rise in chronic diseases, a highly complex healthcare system, and the digital information overload are causing the Requirements for people's health literacy The authors of the action plan predict that the numbers will continue to rise. "There is a particular need for action regarding people with lower levels of education, the elderly, the chronically ill, and people with a migration background," says health scientist Doris Schaeffer. Furthermore, a consistently implemented support concept offers the state considerable potential for savings: up to... 15 billion euros per year The experts quantify the Additional expenses, which arise from insufficient health literacy in Germany.
According to experts, promoting health literacy must begin as early as possible in a person's life. "Systematic programs should be offered in daycare and schools, but also in the workplace and professional context, as well as in residential areas and communities," emphasizes sociologist Klaus Hurrelmann. Concrete examples of implementation can be found in Australia, Great Britain, and the USA, which have been implementing such society-wide strategies for years. Following their example, media outlets and consumer goods manufacturers should also be held accountable in Germany, the latter, for example, through clear labeling requirements such as the traffic light labeling system for food.
Although more information on health topics is available today than ever before, this seems to be the Guidance for many users rather to himdifficultThis is also evidenced by a study accompanying the action plan. Survey by YouGov commissioned by the AOK Federal Association. Only about one in three people feels able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable health information online. Although three quality seals for medical websites already exist, 84 percent of those surveyed are unaware of them. We need evidence-based, transparent, and easily understandable health information., but also actors in the healthcare system who can convey this,“ said AOK prevention expert Kai Kolpatzik.
Health literacy as a standard
According to the action plan, health literacy should be established as a standard at all levels of the healthcare system. Specific recommendations include greater transparency and the reduction of complex administrative processes within the healthcare system, as well as targeted support for physicians and nursing staff in communicating effectively with patients. The entire system must undergo a paradigm shift and become patient-centered in prevention, treatment, and care, the experts argue. Further areas of action concern chronically ill individuals who must manage their condition competently throughout their lives, and the systematic expansion of research on health literacy, without which progress in this field is inconceivable.
The plan was discussed on February 19th at a symposium held at the Robert Bosch Foundation's Berlin office by representatives from politics, healthcare, and academia. Eckart von Hirschhausen and Ilona Kickbusch moderated the event. Here Click here to go to the National Action Plan for Health Literacy.