AUSTRALIA needs to boost health literacy levels to increase consumers' capacity to manage and feel in control of their healthcare, Consumers' Health Forum of Australia (CHF) CEO, Leanne Wells, believes.
Launching the results of a national survey conducted by CHF and NPS MedicineWise, Wells noted that significant numbers of Australians reported that they "rarely or never felt comfortable asking their doctor, pharmacist or nurse when they needed more information".
The survey noted that 28% of people reported that they found information provided by health professionals confusing.
"We need to increase consumers' capacity to manage and feel in control of their health care, including around medicines," Wells said.
"This is a challenge when we know that 60% of Australians appear to lack the capacity to access, understand, appraise and use crucial information to make health related decisions.
"It's really important that we strive to improve medicines literacy because we know people at higher risk of medication-related harm are people with multiple conditions, people who are taking lots of medications and people with English as a second language."
NPS MedicineWise CEO, Adjunct Associate Professor Steve Morris, said the organisation would continue to work with the CHF to boost health literacy and quality use of medicines.
"It's increasingly recognised that engaging consumers as partners in the development of health literacy resources, information and tools is essential to the success of these interventions," he said.
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