Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 4;17(5):e0267782.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267782. eCollection 2022.

Challenges and solutions in communication with patients with low health literacy: Perspectives of healthcare providers

Laxsini Murugesu  1   2   3 , Monique Heijmans  1 , Jany Rademakers  1   4 , Mirjam P Fransen  2   3
Affiliations

Challenges and solutions in communication with patients with low health literacy: Perspectives of healthcare providers

Laxsini Murugesu et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Insights in the challenges that healthcare providers encounter in serving low health literate patients is lagging behind. This study explored challenges perceived by healthcare providers and provides strategies in communication with low health literate patients. Primary and secondary healthcare providers (N = 396) filled in an online survey. We assessed the frequency of challenges prior to, during and following a consultation, and which strategies were used and recommended. Survey outcomes were validated in in-depth interviews with healthcare providers (N = 7). Providers (76%) reported one or more challenges that were subscribed to patients' difficulties in comprehending or applying health-related information, in communicating with professionals, or in taking responsibility for their health. Providers (31%) perceived difficulties in recognizing low health literate patients, and 50% rarely used health literacy specific materials. Providers expressed needs for support to recognize and discuss low health literacy, to adapt communication and to assess patient's comprehension. Future research should focus on developing strategies for providers to ensure patients' understanding (e.g. applying teach-back method), to recognize low health literate patients, and to support patients' in taking responsibility for their health (e.g. motivational interviewing).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Healthcare journey in three stages with corresponding challenges*.
*Conceptual framework adapted from literature [–21].
Fig 2
Fig 2. Percentages of professionals expressing needs for low health literate support strategies, by type of challenge (responders n = 70–205).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barry MJ, Edgman-Levitan S. Shared decision making—the pinnacle of patient-centered care. New England Journal of Medicine. 2012;366(9):780–1. - PubMed
    1. Brabers AE, Rademakers JJ, Groenewegen PP, Van Dijk L, De Jong JD. What role does health literacy play in patients’ involvement in medical decision-making? PloS one. 2017;12(3):e0173316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173316 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sørensen K, Pelikan JM, Röthlin F et al.. Health literacy in Europe: comparative results of the European health literacy survey (HLS-EU). European Journal of Public Health. 2015;25(6):1053–8. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv043 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Willems AEM, Heijmans M, Brabers AEM, Rademakers J. Gezondheidsvaardigheden in Nederland: factsheet cijfers 2021 [health literacy in the Netherlands]. Utrecht: Nivel; 2022.
    1. Osborne RH, Batterham RW, Elsworth GR, Hawkins M, Buchbinder R. The grounded psychometric development and initial validation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). BMC public health. 2013;13(1):658. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types