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Executive Director, Health Care Consumers Association Presentation given at "Health Literacy Network: Crossing Disciplines, Bridging Gaps", November 26, 2013. The University of Sydney.
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Health literacy is about consumer empowerment
Darlene Cox
Health Care Consumers’ Association
Twitter @darlenecox
Consumers seeking health information have the skills, knowledge, understanding & confidence to access information.
A consumer perspective
Consumers have opportunities to build their skills & capacity and are able to pass on knowledge and support their families & friends
Consumer led health literacy is about building personal communication skills and to know where & when to seek help
Health literacy is about our ability to effectively navigate the health system and make decisions about our health and wellbeing.
Health care is a social, emotional and cultural interaction as well as an exchange of information
Barriers to health literacy
We need to address the power imbalance
We don’t plan to be unwell. It often happens at unpredictable times and often results in us needing to make decisions under considerable pressure
Heath literacy is an important aspect of informed consent
We need to make informed decisions and understanding risk is a very important aspect of that
Health information and informed consent
Understanding risk
Health information is a key to understanding our symptoms and conditions
• Recognising people are experts in their own lives. • Be aware of and address the social determinants of
health• Have strategies to address social exclusion &
isolation• Find out where consumers/patients are at and start
there. • Challenge yourself & your service to work with
difficult people.
Developing an empowerment model
We need to be supported to take risks and some of us need more support than others
Darlene CoxExecutive DirectorHealth Care Consumers’ Association
[email protected] @darlenecox
www.hcca.org.au