Health Literacy and Child Health Outcomes / SpringerBriefs in Public Health (PDF)

This compact resource presents current data on health literacy as it affects child health outcomes, with a sharp focus on improving communication between healthcare providers and pediatric patients and their families. A frequently overlooked social determinant of health in children, health literacy is shown as a critical skill for patients and families and a key aspect of patient engagement. The authors' evidence-based survey pinpoints common problems in healthcare providers' verbal and written communication with pediatric patients, their parents, and/or caregivers. Readers will learn about practical health literacy strategies for addressing and preventing miscommunication at the individual and systems levels. These improvements are linked to immediate results (e.g., greater compliance, fewer medication errors) as well as improved long-term child health outcomes, including reduced health disparities and enhanced quality of life into adulthood.

This transformative guide:

• Defines optimum health communication as necessary for working with all patients.
  
• Identifies common barriers to clear health communication.
  
• Traces the relationship between health literacy and child health outcomes, from the prenatal period and into young adulthood.
  
• Offers guidelines for creating effective patient education materials and a safe, health literacy oriented patient-centered environment.
• Integrates health literacy into health systems' quality improvement plans.