Health Literacy

After visiting the doctor today and watching the video on health literacy yesterday, I realized how people can easily endanger their lives by not understanding the doctors or their prescription labels.  I found myself asking questions and paraphrasing what the doctor had said to make sure I knew how to take the medication.  Because I was at health services on campus, I'm sure the doctors there assume the students they see are capable of reading the fine print on the prescription labels and can understand the medical jargon used by the health care providers.  I was made aware of how intimidating a doctors visit could be for someone with a low level of literacy, as they would not have the skills to ask important questions if they aren't able to comprehend what the doctor communicates to them.  After I left student health I read over the directions, warnings, and precautions of taking the medication, all of which was in fine print embedded in paragraphs of big words.  I learned some important things about what not to take with the medicine, which was not described to me and would be hard to find for someone with a low level of literacy.  Looking at my experience with a health communications perspective, I am now seeing where change needs to happen and who is responsible.  The health care providers need to make sure patients comprehend the information given to them and printed materials should offer the information in easy to find bullet points.  This brings up the point of 'transcreation' that rewrites the key concepts in easier language.