DNP 825 How is health literacy entwined with health promotion and disease prevention strategies and how do these factors relate to general population health? 

Health literacy is an essential skill required to empower an individual to care for themselves and pursue wellness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), individual health literacy is the ability of a person to locate, comprehend and apply health information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, copious amounts of information and misinformation were available. Without having adequate health literacy, people were receiving inaccurate information from unreliable sources, especially on social media. Lower levels of health literacy were correlated to an increase in vaccine hesitancy (Turhan et al., 2022). There is a correlation between the level of education and health literacy. Health literacy improves with higher levels of education (Hill Briggs et al., 2021). Education’s correlation to health literacy is a significant social determinant of health. Health literacy plays a significant role in an individual’s decision-making and feeling empowered to act on health issues. Yet, many organizations do not take the time to assess and perform a true evaluationofn an individual’s health literacy. This makes ‘cookie cutter’ education to patients, which should never be a one size fits all.

This is where a DNP-prepared nurse can assist. With proper education, patients are able to pursue wellness and reduce disease which results in a reduction in hospital admissions and readmissions. A DNP can develop strategies or interventions to assist with health literacy assessments and ensure patient education is available based on individual needs. As a DNP, plain language education can be developed and administered to patients in a culturally appropriate manner in a language the patient can understand. If a patient is unable to read, the DNP may need to provide alternative education methods, like a video. Every patient should demonstrate procedures and cares a patient may be required to do at home. DNP nurses can also develop health literacy and patient teaching policies or procedures and remove staff barriers to help increase patient literacy. Based on current research as well as follow-up support to ensure patient and family understanding. On a more global scale, DNP-prepared nurses need to advocate for vulnerable and underserved populations so essential needs, such as education, are available. In the long run, this will increase health literacy and wellness in populations.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, February 2nd). What is health literacy? https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/learn/index.html.

Hill-Briggs, F., Adler, N. E., Berkowitz, S. A., Chin, M. H., Gary-Webb, T. L., Navas-Acien, A., Thornton, P. L. & Haire-Joshu, D. (2021). Social determinants of health and diabetes: a scientific review. Diabetes Care, 44(1), 258-279. Doi: Https://doi.org/10.2337/dci20-0053.

Turhan, Z., Dilcen, H. Y., & Dolu, İ. (2022). The mediating role of health literacy on the relationship between health care system distrust and vaccine hesitancy during COVID-19 pandemic. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 41(11), 8147–8156. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02105-8