Health Literacy

When we have to go to a healthcare provider, we usually have paper work to fill out. Lets face it, we all have had a question we have seen and not fully understood how they wanted us to respond. One thing we do as humans, is sit there and answer to the best of our ability, because we don't want to feel ashamed to ask for help. This goes for our clients as well. There are clients out there that read on a different level, some may not be able to read at all, so it is our job as OT's to assist and make this process easier and less stressful.

As I finish up the material on health literacy, two things stood out to me the most.
One being, when in an office or a clinical setting, we can help our clients understand our guidelines better, by briefly going over the information as you hand it to them (that way they have an idea of what to do),  highlight important sections, and use clear vocabulary and terms on the paper itself. As occupational therapists, we should always make sure our client understands any information. I have seen in clinics where the medical staff member comes over and tells the client to fill out the paperwork and when done bring it back to them. As I stated above, it is situations like that, in which the client starts to stress. When I worked in a clinic, our department always made sure that when we handed the client their paperwork, we sat there with them and explained what each sheet meant and I would even give examples. I would always let them know if they had any questions regarding the paperwork to let me know. I felt the clients really appreciated that small gesture.

Lastly, when I heard the definition for "health promotion" I instantly related it back to a Flipgrid assignment, where I mentioned barriers. The definition states that it assists in achieving health-related goals and assists with trying to bring down that wall or barrier. Which is huge when working with a client. I stated in that brief video, that it could be a clients first time in the hospital or first time going to get a concerning spot looked at. Walls go up and clients stay to themselves, because they are trying to figure their environment out. So, it is our job as OT's to come in and make them feel comfortable and let them see we understand. That way they start to let us in and other health care providers by removing those barriers.