Module Objective: To introduce the definitions and principles of health literacy and the opportunities for the health and social care professional to improve the situation for the patient with limited health literacy.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Critically discuss the different levels of health literacy and the effects of limited health literacy for the patient and the wider community
• Design a patient information leaflet for a person with limited health literacy.
• Demonstrate communication skills in patient consultations which lead to more effective communication.
• Explain how the healthcare/ social care professional can promote a more health-literacy friendly environment for the patient / client.
• Evaluate health literacy interventions with regard to effectiveness and cost effectiveness and the divergence between theory and practice.

 

This module covers key areas such as (i) history and definitions of health literacy; (ii) functional, interactive and critical health literacy; (iii) screening instruments and tools of health literacy and their application in the clinical, public, or research setting; (iv) consultation and communication skills and (v) models of health literacy that can be implemented by pharmacists, doctors, nurses and allied and social care professionals.