Health literacy is an extent to which one has the ability to acquire, to process and acknowledges information regarding health and the required services in order to make decisions appropriately. However, diabetes is one of the issues that the people need to beware and know how to control or manage. The paper thus focuses on the recommendation practices towards the educators and health professionals to support upholding the health literacy in order to help out the already diabetic and those who are not diabetic to have control measures in their health plan (Adam and Robert, p. 144).
Based on the Australian initiative NDSS (national diabetes service scheme), the government administered the initiative of the joint with the Australian Diabetes Educators Association (ADEA). The NDSS funds the initiative for the purpose of educating the citizen on the measures to eliminate the Diabetes menace. Nonetheless, a health literate organization acknowledges the skills of individuals and the consumers’ ability that the health system demands. The one’s level of literacy will determine their decision as well as their actions (Heath and Shirley, p.15). This enhances the health literacy in the entire health system to be precedent for all managers, practitioners and the policymakers. This paper utilizes the health literacy definition applied by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC).
It’s not a secret that the health literacy concept is not a new concept in the policy of Australian health. The terminology health literacy emerged between 1970’s " 1990’s which was just only found in the academic literature. Notwithstanding, it was set as one of the goals in 1993 and also 2007 as the national health aims in which the national health and the HRC identified it as a stronger element of engagement of consumer (Nutbeam and Don, p. 525). It is a matter of facts that health literacy is essential to uphold effective the education of self-control or rather a management. Self-management, on the other hand, is regarded as an important part element of healthcare on the basis of chronic disease as far as diabetes here is a concern. On a high note, health literacy cannot be just an application of the general literacy but it involves two components; low health literacy and low general literacy and they are linked in a different perspective. The two concepts are regarded as the vulnerabilities and also not equal in a manner that they are vulnerable to litigation (Berkman et al, p. 97).
It is enhanced by environmental health literate such that the Institute of medicine has outlined the qualities of health literature organization which are reflected in the Australian Diabetes Educators Association. These attributes involve:
Health literacy integration into the evaluation, planning, safety measures of patients and the improvement of quality
Development of workforce
Consumer engagement
Leadership attribute
High-risk management
Financial consent and informed consent to use health literature in the interpersonal skills
Similarly, the ACSQHS has outlined literacy in the health system as the priority in some of the national health policies in Australian government as follows;
Quality health service standards in partnership with the national safety need health service organization to avail the resources that satisfy the consumer’s needs.
Framework for health care and the Australian safety prioritize the health literacy as the next action in the area.
In response to these, there are different measurement approaches undertaken in evaluating the health literacy. Different tools are already set and they are being established in order to evaluate the person’s knowledge skills and the abilities as well as the dynamics of the environment of health literacy (Baur and Cynthia, 2010).
. Some of the principles that address the policies related to health care for diabetes involves:
The diabetic individuals are the important managers of their diabetes and own lives such that their actions are attributed to the safety and the effectiveness of the diabetes care.
The health literacy reduces the costs incurred in treatment at a systemic and also individual level. Again, it reduces several disadvantages for the vulnerable groups.
The information regarding diabetes and the tools of making a decision is required to be established with the community and the clients incorporated in making the decision to enhance easy accessibility.
Recommendation
The diabetes education and professionals of health support the importance of health literacy in:
Provision of information on diabetes based on the clear evidence by making sure that the consistency with the position of Australian statement of “A new language for diabetes”
Sharing the decision either documenting or communicating that will give a chance to answer clients respectfully contribution to goal setting
Promotion of literature services and the communities are prioritized regarding health in supporting the consumer engagement in service delivery and evaluation thus enhancing health literate services that relate to management of diabetes.
Conclusion
Health literacy is an essential to human health in a way that every individual needs enough information in order to make an informed decision. However, diabetes is a condition that every individual needs to know the measurement tools to manage the conditions. Notably, it is not only the diabetic individuals who require information and the decision making but also the practitioners, clients, families and employers. Many of the people engage in an argument with doctors in the hospital about their care when the results are either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, they are mixed up thus making them think for a fresh start as the change of care plan (Kandula and Namratha, p. 321).
Work cited
Al Sayah, Fatima, et al. "Health literacy and health outcomes in diabetes: a systematic review." Journal of general internal medicine 28.3 (2013): 444-452.
Adams, Robert J., et al. "Risks associated with low functional health literacy in an Australian population." Medical Journal of Australia 191.10 (2009): 530.
Adams, Robert J., et al. "Health literacy: a new concept for general practice?." Australian family physician 38.3 (2009): 144.
Baur, Cynthia. "The national action plan to improve health literacy." US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2010).
Heath, Shirley Brice. "Family literacy or community learning? Some critical questions on perspective." Bringing literacy home (2010): 15-41.
Berkman, Nancy D., et al. "Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review." Annals of internal medicine 155.2 (2011): 97-107.
Kandula, Namratha R., et al. "The relationship between health literacy and knowledge improvement after a multimedia type 2 diabetes education program." Patient education and counselling
75.3 (2009): 321-327.
Nutbeam, Don. "Building health literacy in Australia." Medical Journal of Australia 191.10 (2009): 525.
