7
As Graham Kramer, a GP and National Clinical
Lead for Self Management and Health
Literacy with the Scottish Government says, if
we do not begin to see health literacy as our
problem, we will consistently deny people
the opportunity to access and participate. We
would not expect someone in a wheelchair
to climb stairs, so we should not expect
people to struggle with inappropriate
intellectual obstacles.
16
Understanding and improving health literacy
should therefore be a key objective for
anyone who works in the field of consumer
health information or who communicates
with the public in any way about their health.
It is a fundamental goal for us all to improve
health literacy. After all, whatever our
educational level or social group we all need
help to understand our health and take steps
to improve it, navigate the health system and
to get the right care when we need it. And,
as producers there is little point in spending
time, effort and money on developing
services and resources that can’t be read,
understood or used.
Health literacy and health information
Successfully addressing health literacy
issues is of crucial importance to, and
a fundamental part of, the consumer
health information challenge - to help
turnaround the ‘reverse information
law’ whereby access to appropriate and
meaningful information is particularly
difficult for those who need it most.
12
Whether someone is health literate or not is
the result of many complex processes and
factors which include education, culture and
society as well as health. In order to make
an impact on an issue as complex as health
literacy improving one area alone, such as
consumer health information, is unlikely to be
enough to make really significant changes.
Nutbeam (2000) states that improving health
literacy involves more than the transmission
of health information, it requires more overt
alliance between education and health
sectors, an understanding of the political
aspects of education and a focus on the
structural barriers to health.
13
However,
Coulter and Ellins (2006) believe that the
delivery of high quality and appropriately
targeted consumer health information is
central to any achievement of health literacy.
14
Low health literacy was once seen as an
individual’s deficit - their lack of knowledge
and skills regarding health issues. It is now
recognised that health literacy is a ‘systems
issue’, which reflects the complexity of both
health information and the health care
system.
15
‘Let’s learn... and stop trying to solve low
health literacy by locating the problem
with the patient. It’s for us to make
healthcare simpler and more engaging
so that it matches people’s abilities.’
Graham Kramer, a GP and National
Clinical Lead Self Management and
Health Literacy with the Scottish
Government
