Cancer patients and their carer’s education needs are high. Education may be less effective in patients who experience high anxiety levels secondary to a cancer diagnosis. Lower health literacy adds to confusion and this cohort of people are vulnerable to inappropriate information.
59% per cent of the Australian population aged 15 to 74 are considered to have low health literacy levels.1
Low levels of health literacy and health knowledge in patients are associated with increased rates of hospitalisation and use of emergency care, reduced ability to interpret labels and take medications properly, reduced ability to interpret health messages and poorer knowledge about own disease or condition.2
Changing the way health professionals deliver patient information to respond to differences in patient health literacy levels can lead to positive change in behaviours, improved health status, reduced anxiety and improved self-management of treatment-related side effects and complications.
Simple, practical education strategies such as practicing universal health literacy precautions, personalising information and the incorporating the teach-back method are effective in supporting the information needs of patients and are easily embedded in clinical practice.