|
Health Literacy Month We are the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization, working to improve the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries. Our site offers beneficiary and family-centered care information for providers, patients, and families. Welcome! |
information for:
However, it is important to find websites with trustworthy information:
- Websites ending with .gov are government sites. For example, www.medicare.gov.
- Websites that end in .org are usually healthcare institutions or organizations providing patient education.
- Websites ending with .edu are usually colleges and universities (e.g., medical schools).
improving your health literacy
Your personal health literacy is basically how much you are able to find, understand, and use information and services to help you to make health-related decisions.
Your health literacy is important because the better your health literacy is, the easier it is for you to be involved with your own health care.
tips to help you be more involved with your own health care
Patients who ask questions and make sure they understand the answers tend to get more timely, accurate diagnoses and have better results.
- Here are some tips to use before, during, and after your medical appointment to make sure you get the best possible care: www.ahrq.gov
- You can also download this patient flyer and use it for notes before, during, and after your doctor appointment: Be More Engaged in Your Healthcare (PDF)
- For more information about how to be active in your own health care, including a video and brochure, click on this link (www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy) and scroll down to “For Patients.”
- MyHealthfinder is a prevention and wellness resource from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
In these short videos, patients talk about how simple questions can help you take better care of yourself, feel better, and get the right care at the right time. Doctors and nurses talk about how your questions help them take better care of you. They also give advice about how you can be an active member of your healthcare team and get your questions answered.
Watch the videos: www.ahrq.gov/questions/videos
resources to help healthcare providers and stakeholders in their work with patients and clients
institute for healthcare advancement (iha)
- IHA's Health Literacy Month website has shareable resources you can use to empower your organization or community.
- This toolkit includes materials to use on your website and social media channels. The goal is to increase awareness of health literacy and encourage others to take action.
us department of health and human services
- Health Literacy Online is a guide that helps you develop health websites and digital health information materials that people can easily access and understand.
- MyHealthfinder is a prevention and wellness resource that you can share with people who have limited health literacy skills.
the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc)
- The Understanding Health Literacy web page includes information such as Reports and Evidence on Limited Health Literacy. It also has a link to podcasts so you can listen to health literacy leaders describe their research and practice.
- Health literacy training for health professionals.
