Professor Jami Flick's lecture highlighted just how big of a problem health literacy is- even in the U.S. Because of my educational background, I often forget that words like hypertension, hypertrophy, and hyperglycemia aren't part of people's common vernacular. This makes most people susceptible to whatever the hottest snake oil on the market is. "Lose 10 lbs a week safely by drinking this smoothie," may sound unrealistic to me, but how can I fault the everyday customer for believing that? Who wouldn't want to do that if it was safe?
This absence of health literacy, I believe, puts the responsibility of educating on my, and other healthcare professional's, shoulders. Answering the questions of your clients, friends, family members, and using patient-friendly terms can go a long way if we all shoulder the responsibility of the people within our circles and our practices.
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