IDRR APRIL -MAY -JUNE 2020 - Flipbook - Page 35
PUBLIC HEATH
Dr.Nilima Sibi Thottumkal
HEALTH
LITERACY
ver recent decades, the knowledge of the
etiology and treatment of illnesses has
advanced exponentially. But, there is still
an abundant presence of profound and
consequential health inequalities globally. Apart from
the lack of access to health care providers, economic
issues and cultural factors which are most commonly
cited, health literacy is one of the prime social
determinants. The rapid growth in information
technology and the advances in scientific knowledge
require that the public has an ever-increasing
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understanding of diseases to make good judgments
about their health. One's ability to seek out the
required health information, to process and
understand, to use it to make necessary health care
decisions can be hindered by poor health literacy.
(D'Cruz AM, Shankar Aradhya, 2013)
In any diagnosis in healthcare, the necessary
foundation of treatment attempt is the doctor-patient
relationship. The success of the treatment increases
by the amount of communication between the
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