Health Literacy Essay

This year marks one of the most monumental years in the narration of the United States of America. The alternative of 2008 will set in motion a new era for the US. With a lame misrepresent president currently in office in that location is a 100 percent chance that things ar going to swap. One of the hot onlyton issues during the press out season is wellness cargon. However, in party to change wellness care, the United States essential first be wellness literate person.In order to do so the followers should be known the definition of wellness literacy, what wellness literacy skills are and why they are important, the history behind health literacy, and how health literacy take ups the economy. First, to become health literate one must know the definition of this terminal. Being health literate does non meanspirited hitting the gym everyday or act the latest greatest fad diet. health literacy fuck best be defined as The full stop to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand introductory health information and services needed to make conquer health decisions (2000). It really is quite staple in definition moreover is several(prenominal)how being un noned in the United States today. The bad problem is not that US citizens are making unwise choices when it comes to health care. The big problem is that US citizens do not know how to get the information about the rightfield decisions, process a right or defile decision or eve understand basic information that relates the to health care and early(a) health services.According to the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, health literacy includes the following The ability to understand instructions on prescription drug drug bottles, appointment slips, medical checkup checkup education brochures, reanimates directions and consent forms, and the ability to negotiate involved health care frames (Glassman, 2008). Be wary of the term literacy. Being he alth literate is not comely having the ability to con. health literacy requires a complex chemical company of reading, listening, analytical, and decision-making skills, and the ability to apply these skills to health situations (Glassman, 2008). To know how to prescribe health literacy to work in a solid ground that is moving towards being centered on the consumer, the consumer must have health literacy skills. It seems as if every spark off to the mends office always starts with a stack of forms, questionnaires, and personal information sheets. From the outset the perseverings health literacy is being tested. Some other tasks that a patient must do are as follows evaluate information for credibility and accuracy, snap risks and rewards, calculate dosages, interpret test results, and locate redundant health information (Glassman, 2008). It is easy to overlook some of these skills, but the fact remains that a big portion of people in the United States do no possess these skills. Miscalculating a prescription that live $150 could get pretty pricey. However, in order to put health literacy skills to the test, the patient/consumer must be visually literate, computer literate, information literate, and numerically literate (Glassman, 2008). So where and when did this big push for the farming to be literate in health issues come from?In 1998 the American Medical Association (AMA) was the first group to advocate the belief that health uneducated patients affect medical diagnosis and treatments (AMA, 2007). The same article to a fault stated that poor health literacy is a stronger soothsayer of a persons health than age, income, use status, education level, and race. Being health literate or illiterate can make you younger or seniorer The biggest push the make the United States a health literate landed estate might equitable come from this stat.Individuals with limited health literacy incur medical expenses that are up to four times greater tha n patients with adequate literacy skills, belling the health care system billions of dollars every year in unnecessary sophisticate visits and hospital stays (AMA, 2007). That is billions not millions Billions of dollars are bemused yearly do to patients missing a doctors visit and follow-up appointments, taking medications of schedule, and not being able to understand take on an empty stomach (Glassman, 2008). Being health illiterate does not impact just the individual, but the society as a whole. Health literacy has a commodious roll in the economy. The National Academy on an develop Society estimated that additional health cost due to a low rate of health literacy was over $73 billion in 1998 dollars (NAAS, 1998). That shape would be much larger ten years later. Also, those with low health literacy may have few visit to the doctor but end up using more hospital resources than those who are health literate (Glassman, 2008).Therefore, the more hospital resources used, the m ore expensive health care becomes. Each individual is not only affecting their own bank account, but they are also affecting someone elses as well. It is quite startling that a nation as advanced as the United States could be this illiterate when it comes to an important issue like health care. not being able to answer basic questions on a survey or medical history form is a big problem. Not being able to follow directions on a prescription bottle can end up costing billions of dollars.More importantly, not knowing how to read and follow simple directions like take on empty stomach can end up costing a life. Health literacy is a major issue in this country. It is an issue that has to be addressed. No longer can the United States afford to allow billions and billions of dollars be spend foolishly in our health care systems. The evidence is there. Now it is time for a solution. It is time to begin educating people of all socioeconomic status of how to properly handle their medical m atters. proceed to ignore a health illiterate nation will only lead to more coin being wasted and more people suffering. The time to start a positive change is now. Refusing to do and educate people both young and old will only make United States even more broke and sick. Teaching proper health literacy will not cure any problems, but it can definitely help prevent them. References AMA Foundation, (2007, family line 04). Health literacy. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Health Literacy Web commit http//www. ama-assn. org/ama/gin mill/category/8115. hypertext mark-up language Glassman, Penny (2008, January 17).Health literacy. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Health Literacy Web site http//nnlm. gov/outreach/consumer/hlthlit. html The Center for Health Care Strategies and National Academy on an maturement Society, (1998). Fact sheet. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from National Academy on an Aging Society Web site http//www. agingsociety. org/agingsociety/publications/fact/fact_lo w. html United States Department of Health and Human Services, (2000). sound People 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Healthy People 2010 Web site http//www. healthypeople. gov/Document/pdf/uih/2010uih. pdf.