“Health Literacy is the ability to access, comprehend, evaluate, and communicate information as a way to promote, maintain, and improve health in a variety of settings across the life-course.”
—Canadian Council on Learning
Being health literate means making decisions and taking action so that you feel good about your health. Health literacy has been an important topic in public health for many years. However low health literacy in Canada still exists:
- According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, 60% of adults and 88% of seniors in Canada are not health literate
- More than 1 in 2 adults can’t:
- Use a BMI graph to find their healthy weight
- Understand a vaccination chart
- Read a drug label
Why is low health literacy happening?
Basic literacy has not declined, but the demands on people to understand health information have increased:
- Our healthcare system is complex. Canada has 15 unique health systems, which means each province individually determines how its health system operates. Regional disparities also exist in access and availability to health care professionals. About 16% of Canadians are without a family doctor, and more Canadians are using walk-in clinics and acute care services, making a holistic view of care more difficult to obtain.
- Healthcare is changing. With advances in medicine, the overall cancer survival rate has increased from about 25% in the 1940s to 60% today. With improved health technologies, we can detect and treat disease earlier and more successfully than ever before. While this is positive, it is difficult for individuals to keep track of changes in the health care system and stay up-to-date.
Why is Health Literacy important?
People who have limited health literacy find it difficult to use and understand the everyday health information that is regularly available to them. Among other things, many individuals find the following challenging:
- Navigating the health system
- Seeking support in managing their health condition(s)
- Understanding nutrition
- Understanding medical instructions
- Organizing health care appointments
- Completing paperwork
- Analyzing the risks and benefits of treatment
At Novus Health, we help empower individuals so they can become more informed health care consumers. By providing individuals with timely access to reliable information, tools and resources, along with personalized call centre supports by Health Information Specialists, we improve health literacy by helping individuals be better equipped to navigate the Canadian health care system and get access to services.
How can health navigation services help improve Health Literacy?
Internet users are currently researching health information online at a much higher rate, however only 44% of people trust the health information they find online. Also, the way Canadians are living their lives is changing, compounding the health literacy problem even further.
Four challenges that compound the health literacy problem and how we help
1. Caregiving
Nearly 30%, or 8.1 million Canadians are caregivers, and most Canadians will be caregivers at some point in their lives. Despite the high prevalence of caregivers in our country, 74% do not believe they have complete access to caregivers’ resources, mainly due to lack of services and not knowing where to go for help.
Our Caregiver Support Tool helps individuals locate the programs, services and facilities available in their area to help them take care of their loved ones, including long-term and short-term care, homecare and childcare.
2. Getting older
The median age of Canadians is 41 years, and for the first time, there are now more seniors than children under the age of 14. Health literacy becomes increasingly important as we age because managing our health becomes more and more complex: at age 45, the incidence of chronic conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis more than doubles.
We help educate older individuals about medical conditions, treatment options, and eldercare/support services. For those who have difficulty navigating the internet, our Health Information Specialists are available by phone to provide support.
3. New Canadians
Two-thirds of Canada’s population growth between 2011 and 2016 was from immigration. Given Canada’s unique and complex health care systems, it can be difficult for new Canadians to navigate and find the information and care they need.
Our Provincial Health Care Guides provide information regarding the provincial health plan, wait times for medical procedures, sources for allied health professionals and much more.
4. Mental health
Managing mental illness is a challenging issue in Canada. One in five Canadians will personally experience a mental health issue on some level, and mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some point in their lives. Despite increased awareness of mental health issues, access to mental health services continue to be limited and many Canadians have insufficient knowledge of mental health symptoms, treatment and support services.
We deliver information on mental health issues (diagnosis, treatment, who to involve in care, etc) and assist individuals in finding mental health professionals, including counsellors and psychologists. We also educate about and help individuals access their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Partner with the leading expert in Health Navigation solutions
Novus Health has been the leader in custom health navigation solutions, member engagement programs, and telephone concierge services for over 10 years, serving over 5 million clients worldwide. Let us put our proven expertise to work for you to make your health engagement exceptional.
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