8.5.3: Language, Literacy, and Health Literacy
Language can be a barrier to accessing healthcare and having good communication with a healthcare provider. Even if translators are present, patients with limited English proficiency may not understand diagnoses, prognoses, medications, or other health information. Quality of care may be lower, particularly if caregivers lack cultural understanding, and patients may be hesitant to ask questions or share their symptoms ( Language and Literacy - Healthy People 2030 , n.d.). Sometimes interpreters are required by law to translate exactly what is said, and they may not be able to add to the communication in order to clarify or educate patients. At the same time, the healthcare providers may not be able to assess the patient’s understanding. Healthcare providers can develop cultural competencies for the communities they work with, and community health workers can work to advocate for patients and connect community members with resources (The Healthy Project, 2024).
Literacy includes many different forms of understanding and communication. Oral literacy describes the ability to listen, understand, and communicate verbally, whereas print literacy refers to reading and writing skills and numeracy refers to competency using numbers. These types of literacy skills are also important for health literacy, which is the ability to find, understand and use health-related information and services ( Language and Literacy - Healthy People 2030 , n.d.). For example, if a patient is diagnosed with type II diabetes, they need to be able to find information on what the disease is, how it progresses and affects their risk of other diseases, and what they can do to monitor and manage their blood glucose. This may include verbal explanations from their doctor, written instructions on how to take their medicine or use a glucose monitor, and numbers that they have to track in order to make sure they manage their glucose levels throughout the day. If a person struggles with any form of literacy - or has low health literacy, this can affect their ability to not only get healthcare, but also communicate with a provider, follow medication instructions, and even notice important health symptoms that might indicate an emergency.