Healthcare organizations are responsible for ensuring patients have a degree of health literacy that allows them to understand their diagnosis and treatment. Without this patients are prone to fall by the proverbial wayside in their health, an unfortunate and entirely avoidable outcome.
A Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) fact sheet defines health literacy as, “...the skills necessary for a person to participate in the health care system and maintain good health. These skills include reading and writing, calculating numbers, communicating with health care professionals, and using health technology.”
Health literacy helps people navigate the healthcare system, talk with healthcare providers, and follow medical instructions. In the United States, many people face challenges with basic health literacy, which affects their ability to manage their health. This leads to more medical errors, miscommunication, and higher rates of illness and disability.
There is also the additional impact on public health issues and economic costs. The CHCS fact sheet provides that limited health literacy is estimated to cost the U.S. economy up to $349 billion every year when adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' CPI Inflation Calculator. This large financial impact is a small consideration when considering the fact that those most commonly affected are those most in need of healthcare.
See also: How text messaging can help promote accessibility
Text messaging, specifically HIPAA compliant text messaging, helps healthcare organizations improve health literacy by providing a simple and direct way to communicate with patients. Due to its accessibility to a broad audience, it has been found in recent studies to improve medication adherence, especially for patients with chronic conditions like diabetes. Organizations can send reminders about medications, appointments, and healthy habits, helping patients stay on track with their care. This method is especially useful for groups often affected by low health literacy, like the elderly. Many older adults use mobile phones and find text messages easy to read and respond to. Text messaging also reaches patients who might not have access to computers or the internet, including those in low-income or rural areas.
See also: How psychoeducational text messaging improves patient outcomes
Text messaging can still be effective with basic mobile phones, as messages do not require internet access.
Success can be measured by tracking engagement metrics, patient feedback, and health outcomes such as improved medication adherence and better management of chronic conditions.
Text messaging should complement, not replace, other communication methods.