CHEST Guidelines-Health-Literacy-Influences-Self-Management-Behavio

Health-Literacy-Influences-Self-Management-Behavio_2

Pdf Summary

The correspondence between Drs. Sujeev S. Bains and Sonia N. Bains, and authors Minal R. Patel and colleagues, addresses the role of health literacy in asthma self-management. The Bains note that the study by Patel et al., published in CHEST, concluded that asthma action plans could improve patient-physician relationships and self-management behaviors, particularly among women. However, Bains highlights that the study did not measure health literacy, which can significantly impact self-management, patient satisfaction, and patient-physician communication.<br /><br />Previous studies cited by Bains suggest that inadequate health literacy correlates with poor asthma management skills, such as using inhalers incorrectly, and lower engagement in managing one's asthma. Bains proposes that future research should include health literacy assessments to better understand its role in chronic disease management.<br /><br />In response, Patel and colleagues acknowledge the omission of health literacy measurements in their study but agree that it is a crucial factor in health behavior. They mention the limitations of current metrics in fully capturing health literacy and emphasize the need for more comprehensive assessment tools, as highlighted by the Institute of Medicine. Improved measures could capture skills such as reading, writing, speaking, listening, and numeracy, all necessary for effective self-management and communication with healthcare providers.<br /><br />Both parties agree that health literacy is a critical area for further research to uncover how it influences self-management and patient-provider interactions, emphasizing the necessity for better assessment tools to effectively gauge and address health literacy challenges in chronic disease management.

Keywords

health literacy

asthma self-management

patient-physician communication

asthma action plans

chronic disease management

patient satisfaction

self-management behaviors

health literacy assessments

health behavior

healthcare communication