Health Illiteracy Case Study

There are a plethora of barriers to quality healthcare that prevent Mr. J and his physicians from improving his health. However, the most prominent barrier Mr. J faces is his health illiteracy. He is unable to communicate his health condition to his physicians which makes it difficult for them to properly treat him and fix his health related issues. For instance, when he told his physician he had been admitted in the hospital, he was unable to tell him what he was in the hospital for stating “I don’t know. But they let me go, eventually.” (Ship, 2011, p. 2). It was later learned that he had chest pain, required cardiac stenting and was supposed to be taking clopidogrel. Additionally, Mr. J does not stay on top of his medications which can
Furthermore, Mr. J fails to go to each of his doctor’s appointments for sleep apnea and as a result there is no progress for his medical issues. Mr. J is not committed to improving his health because he does not understand the severity of his condition, nor the consequences of failing to maintain his health conditions. This lack of knowledge about the severity of his condition can also be attributed to his health illiteracy and is a major issue that needs to be addressed before any progress will be made in Mr. J case, as well as many other cases of patients who fail to see the severity of their health conditions. Two barriers that the US healthcare system contributes to is lack of patient-physician communication and financing medication. It is crucial for physicians to make sure patients know what their illnesses are and the proper ways to maintain and improve their current health condition. Many physicians are in a hurry to get to the next patient and keep the wait time down so many patients leave the hospital or doctor’s office without the ability to explain what is wrong with them or know how to properly maintain their
J should first meet with a health coach, nurse or physician in order to identify his “ideal” goals related to his healthcare barriers. In this meeting he should discuss where he would like to be with his health later on in life and he should explain the difficulties he faces accessing quality healthcare and his difficulty understand the medical conditions he has and how to treat them properly. Additionally, the healthcare member that attends this meeting should take the time to explain in depth each condition that Mr. J has and have him ask and questions as far as the treatment or condition goes. Before leaving this meeting the healthcare member should attempt to see if there are any misunderstanding or communication barriers. Then Mr. J should meet with a health coach and explain his health goal and then the two of them should make a plan for him to follow in order to achieve those goals. Once the health coach leaves they should call Mr. J twice a week for the first month in order to make sure he is taking his medications and access his progress thus far. At the end of the first month there should be a home visit in which the two discuss the progress made thus far and address any issues of the current collaboration plan that needs adjustment in order to have more progress and adjust to Mr. J’s goals and desires. Once this meeting is completed the health coach should make contact with Mr. J once a week for the second month and