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IMPLICATIONS OF LOW HEALTH LITERACY ON THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASES: THE ROLE OF THE NURSES

Feyisayo Iyabo BAMIDELE, Cecilia Bukola BELLO, Risikat Idowu FADARE,

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ABSTRACT

Introduction: Chronic diseases (CDs) are health issues that persist for at least a year, demanding continuous medical care. Health literacy (HL) is an important factor in disease prevention and control. Low health literacy. Low HL is a serious obstacle that hinder many people living with CDs from managing their chronic conditions.

Aim: To assess the implications of low health literacy (LHL) on the health outcomes of people living with chronic diseases (PLWCDs) and the role of the nurses.

Methods: Literature of articles published from 2014 to 2020 was searched across various databases, namely Pubmed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Global Health, WHOLIS, Embase, and EbscoHost to assess the implications of LHL on health outcomes of chronic diseases. Literatures published in English language that met the inclusion criteria were included in the article.

Result: Some of the implications of LHL identified are: difficulties in navigating the health system, accessing and understanding information, communicating with healthcare providers, self-management, keeping appointments and medication adherence.

Conclusion: Considering the implications of LHL on health outcomes, it is imperative for nurses to be able to recognize people with LHL, understand the impact of LHL on PLWCDs, and be able to help them improve their HL. The review suggests some strategies for the nurses.

Keywords: Health Literacy; Health-outcome; People living with chronic diseases; self-management