Takeaways from Session 28 of Foundations 425

The subject of health literacy definitely stands out more in my mind now due to the content of this lesson. Health literacy involves a person's ability to receive and understand basic information about their health and them being able to make informed decisions about it. Nobody particularly likes to receive information that they can't understand especially I would think when it involves their own personal health. I thought back to when I have been different health care or anatomy related questions and how frustrated it would be to not understand something something that I would be trying to. Now relating that to my own personal health and thinking about something being explained to me and I not being able comprehend it has an even more upsetting feeling for me.

There are many reasons why a person might not be able to understand the medical information. Maybe they do not have a very high reading/word comprehension level, the words being used might be too complex or technical for a patient, the doctor or medical professional might not be taking the time to explain it appropriately, or many other reasons could be listed. As OT practitioners, we need to always strive to see the needs of our clients and bring any information to them in a way that will be easily understood so that they can carry out the instructions or tasks to hopefully help to make them better. It might be embarrassing for them to admit that they don't understand something and we need to portray a helpful attitude so they will feel more comfortable, plus, we need to be checking for comprehension and striving to be client-centered. We always have to remember that no two people are going to be the same or come from the same circumstances and some might need different modifications or assistance than others, but we always have a responsibility to help in any way we can. People need to be confident with the intervention or treatment that they are taking part in so that their motivation will stay high and I think that health literacy plays a big part in that.