5 Ways I Address Limited Health Literacy
My mother and I immigrated to the United States when I was 4 or 5 years old. Growing up, I was the bridge between my mother — who was fluent in five languages but often misunderstood due to her accent — and the English-speaking world. This role was about more than translating words; it was about conveying empathy, building trust, and dismantling barriers. These years as her translator made addressing health literacy more than a professional concern for me once I started taking care of patients. It was my personal mission.
Here are 5 key approaches I started integrating in medical school to make healthcare more accessible:
1. Empowering patients with education: I make sure my patients don’t just receive information- they truly understand it. This means stepping away from medical jargon and instead using plain, everyday language, supplemented with visual aids or diagrams whenever possible. Medical appointments are overwhelming, so I frequently carried sticky notes on rotations so patients could take my notes or mediocre doodles home with them and share them with family (I’m sure they earned a few laughs).
2. Encouraging dialogue: True understanding requires two-way communication. I try to create an environment where my patients feel comfortable admitting when they don’t understand something and where they can ask questions without hesitation. My background in linguistics and DEI really comes in handy here as I try to flatten hierarchy and allow my patients to admit confusion/frustration.
3. Cultural humility: My experiences as an immigrant in a family of immigrants have deepened my appreciation for cultural nuances in communication. Personally and professionally, I’ve seen so many encounters go wrong because the provider and the patient were not starting from the same goal or perspective. Therefore, I try to start every patient encounter with the mindset: “I have never met this person before. I don’t know what they want or what they believe.” This helps me ask the questions that will get us started on the right foot.
4. Leveraging technology: Given the inevitable role of technology in sharing information, I’m all about integrating digital tools into my practice. I see technology as an ally in bridging the health literacy gap, making medical advice more accessible and understandable. As a student, I regularly used tools like Google Images or YouTube to help demonstrate concepts that words (or my sticky note doodles) couldn’t capture.
5. Advocacy for systemic change: Beyond individual patient care, I believe in advocating for systemic improvements in health literacy. This includes promoting policies that make health information universally accessible and understandable, and pushing for training programs that equip healthcare providers with the skills to communicate effectively. This is especially important as election season is ramping up!
From my early days helping my mother communicate, to studying linguistics in college, to witnessing the stark disparities in health literacy as a scribe in an Appalachian ER, I’ve seen how easily vital health information can slip through the cracks. I will never forget seeing a young man still bewildered by the word “appendix” just moments after agreeing to have it surgically removed. His story and ones just like it are a call to action. They are reminders that every patient encounter is a chance to make health information clear and accessible.
