Health Literacy Case Study
Health literacy is a crucial subject in nursing because it offers an individual an opportunity to assess and understand health data about a patient to make good and informed health decisions (Mackert et al. 2016). The ability to find and process information is key to the realization of good treatment procedures. The major challenge that the health sector faces is the inability to make information accessible irrespective of the literacy skills and education level of the patient. All the patients are not the same, and it is important to understand the difference because ignoring it makes health care teaching tough. Every patient must understand the directives and information offered by his or her nurse.
The case study in the essay is the 45-year old lady whose results indicate that she has breast cancer. It is worth noting that breast cancer is a major cause of death among ladies in society (Akram et al. 2017). The current world is experiencing excellent technological advancement, and it is upon people to rightfully use the technology to get information regarding such dangerous diseases. It is devastating that people find it hard to access precise information about various illnesses with the existing technology. One of the best places to access mobile applications is the Google Play Store. The reason for choosing mobile applications is that most people across the world own mobile phones and a good number of them have the ability to access the internet. Therefore, there is an expectation that the patient under this case study has access to a smartphone that can download applications from the Google Play Store. The application under interest is known as mHealth, and it provides much information regarding breast cancer (Uhm et al. 2017). The application is very informative with its diverse content. According to Ginossar, there are design strategies and directives given by the Institute of Medicine, including the use of plain language. The directives concern the usage of the application (Gnossar et al. 2017). The application provides supportive care for cancer patients, and it gives them directions on how to manage symptoms. An interesting feature is the text messages sent to the patients to remind them about cancer screening appointments. mHealth has tools for managing data, and patients have the ability to search for appointments and medication. The design of the application helped in reducing the physical contact between the caregivers and the patients. There is an option on the application where the patients notify the health professional of any chemotherapy side effects. The side effects of other treatments can also be reported. There is a high level of medical adherence that mHealth presents (Ginossar et al. 2017). Therefore, a patient diagnosed with breast cancer can easily get answers to questions that she may not have asked the nurse.
The tool makes it easy for the patients to access health maintenance advice while utilizing all the available services on it. The information regarding the ways through which to prevent cancer is also available. It includes elements to do with diet and physical fitness. It also has information regarding diagnosing cancer, all the available treatment options, the financial aspect related to the treatment and the short and long-term effects of the treatment sessions. The presentation of all the information is in a simple and plain language that is easily understandable. The new patient can benefit from the application by providing health literacy information needed to cope with the illness. Therefore, it is a highly recommended tool for the patient.
References
Akram, M., Iqbal, M., Daniyal, M., & Khan, A. U. (2017). Awareness and current knowledge of breast cancer. Biological research, 50(1), 33.
Ginossar, T., Shah, S. F. A., West, A. J., Bentley, J. M., Caburnay, C. A., Kreuter, M. W., & Kinney, A. Y. (2017). Content, usability, and utilization of plain language in breast cancer mobile phone apps: a systematic analysis. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 5(3), e20.
Mackert, M., Mabry-Flynn, A., Champlin, S., Donovan, E. E., & Pounders, K. (2016). Health literacy and health information technology adoption: the potential for a new digital divide. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(10), e264.
Uhm, K. E., Yoo, J. S., Chung, S. H., Lee, J. D., Lee, I., Kim, J. I., … & Hwang, J. H. (2017). Effects of exercise intervention in breast cancer patients: are mobile health (mHealth) with pedometer more effective than a conventional program using brochure?. Breast cancer research and treatment, 161(3), 443-452.