Health literacy knowledge and experience of bachelor nursing students at a university in the Western Cape

Abstract

Health literacy is defined as the degree to which an individual has the capacity of obtaining, processing, and understanding basic health information and services needed for one to make appropriate decisions with relation to health. Health literacy is currently emerging as a major determinant of health outcomes yet it is not receiving enough attention, especially among health professionals. It is now considered a stronger predictor of health outcomes than social and economic status, education, and gender. Since nurses play a major role in providing healthcare information to patients and clients, it is imperative that nurses be prepared to face the challenges presented by individuals with poor health literacy skills. The nursing discipline is the largest segment of the health-oriented workforce and therefore, nurses have the largest responsibility of providing patient education, however, there are no education efforts targeting health professionals with regard to health literacy in South Africa. It is, therefore, imperative to establish the knowledge and experience of nurses in training in order to forge a way forward in nursing education.