Health literacy and clinical supervision


The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care national statement on health literacy was endorsed by the state and territory health ministers. It is viewed as Australia’s national approach to addressing health literacy. In 2012 the commission undertook a stocktake of health literacy activities to gain an understanding of the work that was being conducted. It was found that the work was organic and uncoordinated. In 2013 there was release of a background paper that culminated in a report. The final version of this released in August 2014,  is entitled health literacy: taking action for safety and quality.

This statement acknowledges health literacy’s importance for enabling effective partnerships. This three page document outlines the challenge for safety and quality  when only about 40% of adults have the level of individual health literacy needed to meet the complex demands of every day life. Low health literacy contributes to higher rates of adverse outcomes and lower uptake of health protection and promotion.

The implications for clinical supervision can be profound. This could be attributed to the level of health literacy of students entering clinical practice for the first time, their ability to understand the complexity of the health system and the differing health literacy of their clients or patients. Clinical supervisors need to navigate the nexus of their student’s and the patients understanding. Additionally, clinical supervisors are vested with the responsibility of assisting their students to learn about health education at an individual level. They need to be able to guide the learners in learning about how to communicate health information to patients in a way the patient can comprehend. Supervisors can refer to the statement to gain and understanding about addressing health literacy in a collaborative and coordinated way. The third area in the statement refers to integrating health literacy into education. It also provides a guide of the actions that can be taken in the health system to address health literacy. I urge you to have a browse to further your understanding of the statement and the role of health professionals especially clinical supervisors in improving health literacy through a range of strategies.

If you have any comments or suggestions about health literacy from the perspective of a clinical supervisor you are welcome to post them here. Please join us @PEPCommunity

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