To empower patients, we need to apply the knowledge gained from research
The final report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, A healthier future for all Australians, has rightly stimulated debate in Australia about what it takes to create an equitable and sustainable health care system.1 The report draws attention to the importance of strengthened consumer engagement, boldly described as “giving people real control and choice about whether, how, where and when they use health services, supported by access to evidence-based information that facilitates informed choices”, as a platform for creating an “agile and self-improving health system”.1 Building health literacy is identified as a key strategy that will underpin strengthened consumer engagement.
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- 1 Office of the Vice Chancellor, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
- 2 University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
- 1. National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. A healthier future for all Australians: final report June 2009. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2009. http://www.nhhrc.org.au/internet/nhhrc/publishing.nsf/Content/nhhrc-report (accessed Aug 2009).
- 2. Barratt A. Evidence based medicine and shared decision-making: the challenge of getting both evidence and preferences into health care. Patient Educ Couns 2008; 73: 407-412.
- 3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. Health literacy, Australia. Canberra: ABS, 2008. (ABS Cat. No. 4233.0.) http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/73ED158C6B14BB5ECA2574720011AB83/$File/42330_2006.pdf (accessed Aug 2009).
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- 8. Smith SK, Trevena L, Nutbeam D, et al. Information needs and preferences of low and high literacy consumers for decisions about colorectal cancer screening: utilizing a linguistic model. Health Expect 2008; 11: 123-136.
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- 10. Nutbeam D, Wise M, Bauman A, et al. Goals and targets for Australia’s health in the year 2000 and beyond. Report for the Commonwealth Department of Health, Housing and Community Services. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1993.