Health Literacy Language Barriers

The lap contains information in multiple languages for six disease areas where major health disparities have been identified in non english speaking populations.

Health literacy language barriers. In new research christine gunn phd of boston university school of medicine and colleagues hypothesized that poor health literacy and not speaking english would be associated with more. Health literacy barriers people with poor literacy skills are especially challenged by most health information. Language is therefore a critical component of any effort to improve communication and access to quality healthcare for patients their family members caregivers and friends.

Language barriers complicate health teaching. In the us 88 of adults have health literacy limitations and 77 million americans more than one third of us adults are challenged with scheduled self and family care tasks such as following discharge instructions taking prescribed medications and adhering to childhood immunization schedules. The language access portal external icon lap.

Low health literacy is an unavoidable barrier to effective patient care for physicians across the country. 2 individuals with low health literacy are more prone to poor health. The responsibility for providing appropriately tailored health education is complicated by the growing number of people in this country for whom english is not the primary language.

If the full spectrum definition of health literacy is understood by physicians and carefully considered in the context of their own practices it is likely they would come to the realization that health literacy is a greater obstacle to providing health care than they previously considered. Nurses today are providing care education and case management to an increasingly diverse patient population that is challenged with a triad of cultural linguistic and health literacy barriers. The national institute on minority health and health disparities nimhd launched a resource for people who work with health disparity populations with limited english proficiency.

Language barriers and the inability to read or understand health information can pose serious health risks to individuals with limited english proficiency lep. For these patients culture and language set the context for the acquisition and application of health literacy skills.