A patient who doesn’t receive clear instructions for taking his medications when he leaves the hospital could wind up right back in the facility with negative outcomes and increased healthcare costs. That’s why the American Nurses Association has made improving patients’ health literacy a priority with its House of Delegates report, “Addressing Health Literacy Through Patient Literacy.”

“Nurses are educators and teachers and are responsible for providing that education,” said Denise Danna, RN, DNS, NEA-BC, FACHE, president of the Louisiana State Nurses Association.

Health literacy — which the report defines as “the aptitude to gain, interpret and utilize basic health information and understand what assistance is needed to make appropriate healthcare decisions” — is crucial to quality patient care. “Lack of patient knowledge leads to return visits, recidivism and an increased financial burden,” the report stated. The Institute of Medicine estimates poor health literacy costs $73 billion annually, the report stated.

A host of factors contribute to patients’ poor health literacy, said Danna, who also is an assistant professor of nursing at Louisiana State University’s Health Science Center. “Physicians really don’t have time” to explain complex diagnoses or care instructions, she said.

Also, at discharge, patients want to get home quickly and might not take the time to understand their conditions and the directions for their care, she adds. Information patients do receive often contains medical jargon that is difficult to comprehend. “It definitely needs to be at the level that they can read and understand,” Danna said. The report cites studies recommending that the material be written at a fifth- to seventh-grade level.

Along with providing easy-to-understand informational materials, nurses can improve patients’ health literacy during admission, Danna said. RNs can use an initial assessment to determine patients’ understanding of their diagnoses, then talk with them about the areas where they need more education. Continue educating patients while they are in your care, including if a diagnosis changes, Danna notes. Patients also can have difficulty understanding complicated diagnoses, such as diabetes and heart disease, with complicated care plans.

“A lot of patients return to the hospital because of not taking their medicine, not following the proper instructions,” Danna said. But because a nurse likely spends more time with the patient than a physician does, the patient will feel more comfortable asking the nurse questions, she said.

“Patients trust the nurses,” she adds. “The nurse-patient bond is key.”