Before we start

In this course you will explore the concept of health literacy and learn strategies and techniques to mitigate health literacy problems in healthcare. All the content in this course is evidence-based and references to relevant scientific studies are included throughout the course.

Systematic review

The main article we refer to is the systematic review by Jager et al. (2019) entitled Patient Perspectives to Inform a Health Literacy Educational Program: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies. This review is published and is open access. You can find the downloadable pdf below. In this study perspectives of patients with limited health literacy (LHL) were analysed and taken as the main input for the development of a comprehensive and person-centred educational framework that can enhance the relevance and quality of education for (future) healthcare professionals, and contribute to better person-centred care for patients with limited health literacy. We advise you to download this article and read it before you start the course or at least have a look at the short summary we wrote.

Summary of the systematic review

Effective person-centred prevention and care is embraced by many healthcare organizations given the rising number and impact of chronic diseases. Unfortunately, people with limited health literacy do not benefit sufficiently from health services due to a lack of tailoring to their capacities and needs. The key to effectively address person-centred care is to include the perspectives of patients with limited health literacy within the curricula of (future) healthcare providers. The systematic review aimed to explore and synthesise evidence on the needs, experiences and preferences of patients with limited health literacy to inform an existing educational framework. Results showed that patients with limited health literacy and chronic diseases encounter multiple problems throughout the care process, which are often related to a lack of person-centeredness. Patient perspectives were categorised into four key themes:

1. Support system;
2. Patient self-management;
3. Capacities of healthcare professionals;
4. Barriers in healthcare systems.

Cultural sensitivity and eHealth were identified as recurring themes. A set of learning outcomes for (future) healthcare professionals was developed based on these findings and are presented in the article. The perspectives of patients with limited health literacy provide valuable input for a comprehensive and person-centred educational framework that can enhance the relevance and quality of education for (future) healthcare professionals, and contribute to better person-centred care for patients with limited health literacy.

Comprehensive health literacy educational framework promoting person-centred care

Health Literacy Center Europe

You may also want to have a look at the website of the Health Literacy Center Europe. This portal provides news and knowledge on health literacy for various audiences such as: health professionals, policymakers, educators and researchers. There is also a link to the IMPACCT program. IMPACCT developed an evidence-based health literacy educational programme, which enhances person-centred communication to promote better health outcomes for people with limited health literacy. This online course is part of that programme.

This is the full reference to the article:

Jager, M., de Zeeuw, J., Tullius, J., Papa, R., Giammarchi, C., Whittal, A., & de Winter, A. F. (2019). Patient Perspectives to Inform a Health Literacy Educational Program: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(21), 4300.