Document Type
Article
Rights
Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence
Disciplines
3. MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Abstract
Health literacy influences how messages are received and understood by patient or population groups. In Europe, incomprehension of health information is common, affecting the ability of many individuals to make informed decisions about their health. In addition, incomprehension of health information may impact the effectiveness of interventions and subsequently, health outcomes. In this article, we illustrate the importance of health literacy in the context of maternity services, a time during which, health interventions affect both maternal and child health. Through this, we suggest that health literacy should be recognised in healthcare settings as a tool to facilitate behaviour change. To support this, we provide practical recommendations for clinicians and researchers on how to address aspects of health literacy in their practice.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/3gvm-d969
Recommended Citation
Killeen, S.L., Brown, I. & Geraghty, I.I. (2021). Addressing Health Literacy for Improved Outcomes: A Focus on Pregnancy. Irish Medical Journal, vol 114, no. 3, pg. 302. doi:10.21427/3gvm-d969