What is nurses' awareness of physical health literacy and their responsibilities?
Abstract
Aim
1. To discover what current literature says about health literacy in British adults and
how nurses are involved.
2. To explore nurses' awareness of their responsibilities around physical health
literacy.
Background:
Good physical health literacy is a critical determinant of health and wellbeing but is
often ignored or overlooked. Current literature suggests that this is a developing area of
research but has not been adequately addressed in the United Kingdom. Nurses have a legal
and professional responsibility to improve physical health literacy but may not be aware of
the issue or how to address it.
Design:
An explorative, observational quantitative study
Method:
An online questionnaire exploring nurses' views and opinions around physical health
literacy and their responsibilities was designed. The potential sample includes registered
nurses currently working in NHS Lothian. The results will be analysed and presented using
descriptive statistics.
Relevance to practice:
Improving nurses' awareness of physical health literacy and their responsibilities can
lead to better person-centred care and person-centred outcomes. If nurses are aware of low
physical health literacy issues, they will recognise when issues arise and know how to
prevent difficulties. This results in better care, less health inequality, and better health and
wellbeing for patients and their families.