Magnolia Health Provides Health Literacy Tips

JACKSON, Miss., Oct. 29, 2020  /PRNewswire/ -- Understanding health information can be challenging. In fact, nine out of ten people struggle to understand and use health information, known as health literacy.¹ From medical forms and treatment options to knowing where to go for care and the side effects of medications, health literacy plays an important role in health outcomes. As your guide to better health, Magnolia Health provides tips to improve health literacy skills to help patients make important decisions about their family's health.

Importance of Health Literacy
Health literacy refers to how well a person is able to get, communicate, process, and understand health information and services to make their best health decisions. Lack of health literacy skills is found in every age, race, gender or ethnic group. Even people who read well and are comfortable using numbers can face health literacy challenges. These often occur when patients aren't familiar with medical terms, need to evaluate risks and benefits that affect their health and safety, are diagnosed with a serious illness or have health conditions that require complicated self-care.

Research has shown that low health literacy is linked to poor health. Patients with limited health literacy skills have higher hospitalization rates and emergency appointments² and are less likely to seek preventative care like getting a flu vaccination³  Patients with limited health literacy skills are more likely to smoke, be overweight and have low physical activity levels.⁴

Increased health literacy gives patients the confidence and resources to make educated decisions to improve their health and the health of their families.

Patients can improve their health literacy skills by:

1. Asking questions. Before a doctor appointment, patients should write down the questions they have. This can help them feel prepared.

Ask questions like:

• How is my health? Are there any other problems or issues you are worried about?
• What medicines do I take? What are each of my medicines for?
• What types of diet and exercise can help me stay healthy?
• What can I do now to make sure my health is good in the future?

Patients should leave their appointment knowing what to do next. If they're feeling unsure about anything, they should ask.

2. Taking notes. Remembering everything the doctor says can be hard. Write down any important information. Many doctors also provide printed or digital appointment notes and other resources for patients to reference. Patients should ask their doctor where to find this information.

Doctors can also provide recommendations for other resources to learn more about a patient's diagnosis. Ask the doctor for trusted sources for education and support.

3. Bringing someone to appointments. An extra set of ears can be helpful. Asking a relative or friend to attend appointments to better understand information helps ease the patient's mind, especially if they are not feeling well. Support systems can also help fill out forms and write down the doctor's instructions.

It is important for patients to know that they don't have to manage their health alone. Doctors and nurses are great resources and are eager to help patients.

Magnolia Health helps members navigate their health challenges through unique member benefits. For any questions about health literacy benefits, visit magnoliahealthplan.com or call 1-866-912-6285 (Relay 711).

About Magnolia Health

Magnolia Health is a long-term solution to help the state of Mississippi enhance care for Medicaid recipients, while most effectively managing taxpayer dollars. A physician-driven, Mississippi-based Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), Magnolia is backed by its parent company, Centene Corporation (Centene), multi-national healthcare enterprise. For more information about Magnolia, visit www.magnoliahealthplan.com.

¹ https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/shareinteract/TellOthers.html#:~:text=Nine%20out%20of%2010%20adults,than%20necessary%20morbidity%20and%20mortality.
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497036/
³ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19433837/
⁴ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4855442/#:~:text=Low%20health%20literacy%20has%20been,%5B12%5D%2C%20and%20poorer%20use

SOURCE Magnolia Health

Related Links

http://www.magnoliahealthplan.com