18
Health literacy and health information producers
15
Please tell us what impact these barriers have on your service users (if any).
This was a free field response and many
respondents used phrases such as ‘a lack of control
over health’, ‘adherence to treatments’ and ‘lack of
ability to access relevant information’. Keywords
included ‘access’ and ‘understand’. These are some
direct quotes from respondents which typify the
responses:
‘People not turning up to appointments
because they cannot read or tell the time. Not
understanding what they are signing for when
signing for treatments or operations. Not taking
medication properly...’
‘Lack of consent to treatment. Lack of control
over health, lack of opportunities to live
healthily, problems with communicating with
health professionals.’
‘Lack of ability to access relevant information
and barriers to acting on it.’
‘People may be embarrassed to admit that they
cannot read the literature and so may not then
get the information they need.’
‘If our information is ‘beyond’ some service users,
there is a danger that they will get the message
that being in charge of your own health is only
for ‘brainy’ people instead of for everyone.’
‘We try not to dumb down; and this may be the
wrong decision.’
16
How important do you think it is to consider health literacy when you are planning,
developing or writing information resources or services?
107, (52%)
83, (40.3%)
11, (5.3%)
1, (0.5%)
4, (1.9%)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Extremely important
Very important
Quite important
Not very important
Don't know
Most respondents felt
that health literacy
was either extremely
important or very
important to consider
when developing and
writing information
resources or services.
