Importance of Effective Communication and Health Literacy in Culturally Safe Healthcare Environment

This presentation discusses the importance of effective communication and health literacy in a culturally safe healthcare environment. It defines effective communication and health literacy, and explains how they can improve patient outcomes. The presentation also includes references for further reading.

The importance of effective communication
and health literacy in a culturally safe
healthcare environment
Student’s Name
University Affiliation

Learning Outcomes
 Define effective communication
 Define health literacy
 Describe the importance of effective
communication and health literacy in a culturally
safe healthcare environment

What is effective communication?
 The process of sharing thoughts, information and
feelings through speech, writing and body language
 Effective communication requires interpersonal skills,
self-awareness, and awareness of others
 It increases patient satisfaction and protects the
healthcare professionals
 REDE model of effective communication consists of
relationship, establishment, development, and
engagement (Bramhall, 2014)
(Windover, Boissy, Rice, Gilligan, Velez & Merlino, 2014)

The importance of effective communication in a
culturally safe environment
 Good communication improves patient’s emotional health
 Enhances several physiological measures such as blood
pressure
 Increases level of confidence and self-empowerment for
the patient
 Reduces the issues of misunderstanding and errors
 Improves the level of respect and reputation between the
nurse and the patient
(Leonard, 2017)
(Cultural.org, 2012)

What is health literacy?
 Health literacy is the capacity to access, comprehend,
analyse and convey health information
 In Australia, health literacy is defined as skills and
knowledge needed to comprehend and apply information
associated with health issues
 Low level of health literacy is linked to low education and
poverty
 Nutbeam model of health care consists of functional
literacy, interactive health literacy, and critical health
literacy (Lambert et al., 2014)
(Nutbeam, 2015)

The importance of health literacy in a culturally
safe environment
 Allows an individual to seek, access and analyse
health information
 Appropriate use of medication and subsequent
outcomes
 Involvement of patients in medical decision-making
 Patents’ diagnosed with chronic health conditions
can access information, and apply appropriate skills
to manage their condition
(Lowell, Schmitt, Ah Chin, & Connors, 2014)
(Poureslami, Nimmon, Rootman, & Fitzgerald, 2016)

References
Bramhall, E. (2014). Effective communication skills in nursing practice. Nursing Standard (Royal College of
Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987), 29(14), 53-59.
Cultural.org. (2012). Communicating effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Retrieved 4
16, 2018, from https://www.cultura.org.au/sites/default/files/2017-02/Communicating%20effectively
%20with%20Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20people_1.pdf
Windover, A. K., Boissy, A., Rice, T. W., Gilligan, T., Velez, V. J., & Merlino, J. (2014). The REDE model of
healthcare communication: optimizing relationship as a therapeutic agent. Journal of patient
experience, 1(1), 8-13.
Lambert, M., Luke, J., Downey, B., Crengle, S., Kelaher, M., Reid, S., & Smylie, J. (2014). Health literacy:
health professionals’ understandings and their perceptions of barriers that Indigenous patients
encounter. BMC health services research, 14(1), 614.
Leonard, P. (2017). Exploring ways to manage healthcare professional—patient communication issues. Support
Care Cancer , 25 (Suppl 1), 7-9.
Lowell, A., Schmitt, D., Ah Chin, W., & Connors, C. (2014). Provider Health Literacy, cultural and
communication competence: towards an integrated approach in the. Northern Territory.
Nutbeam, D. (2015). Defining, measuring and improving health literacy. HEP , 42 (4), 450-456.
Poureslami, I., Nimmon, L., Rootman, I., & Fitzgerald, M. J. (2016). Health literacy and chronic disease
management: drawing from expert knowledge to set an agenda. Health promotion international , 32 (4), 743-
754.