MOST Australians believe they have a good enough understanding of their healthcare needs to engage with healthcare professionals easily, the National Health Survey: Health Literacy, 2018 reveals.
The survey found that one-in-three Australians always found it easy to discuss health concerns with a health professional, while a further 56% reported that they usually found it easy.
The data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed that older Australians (aged 65+) were more confident in their ability to actively engage with a health professional, with 39% reporting they always found it easy, compared to 28% of those aged 18 to 24 years.
Older Australians were also more likely to report they always found it easy to navigate the health system to access the care they needed, while younger Australians were more likely to experience difficulties in accessing care.
People with multiple co-morbidities were more likely to report they had difficulty discussing their healthcare needs with a health practitioner than those with one or no medical conditions, the ABS data revealed.
The survey found the majority of Australians believed they were capable of actively managing their health, with less than one-in-10 reporting that they were not confident of their ability to self-manage their healthcare.
The ABS reported people who self-assessed their health condition as "poor/fair" were more likely to feel that they were not in a position to actively manage their health than those who said they were excellent, very good or good health.
The survey found that couple-only families were more likely to strongly agree (20%) they could actively manage their health, than people living alone (15%).
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 30 Apr 19
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