There is a growing comprehension gap that physicians need to bridge to ensure that their patients can manage their health. Doctors simply need to work harder so that patients can understand basic health information and make appropriate health care decisions.
Understanding medical treatment involves the comprehension of a new language, one with its own set of concepts, jargon and statistics. All patients can benefit from clearer communication but patients with chronic health conditions need to understand instructions in order to juggle medications, diet and treatment regimens. Patients with low health literacy face a higher risk of death. Level of education, life experiences and culture can shape how patients perceive and process vital health information.
Physicians cannot guess their patients’ health literacy. Studies have shown that patients are not insulted if information is “dumbed down;” patients welcome hearing a simple explanation and a clear plan. This is especially true in patients with limited English efficiency. The best way for physicians to improve communication with patients is to place close attention to the words they use, the points that they want to make and how the patient responds.
Increasing health literacy is a priority objection in Healthy People 2020, a federal plan for improving American health. Doctors need to communicate in ways that patients can understand and act on – and patients should hold doctors accountable to do so.
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