Access to health care is limited in the rural setting so it becomes imperative to educate the patient regarding their illness, treatments, management, medications and when to seek medical assistance. Providing this information to the patient and educating them, the patient is better able to self-manage their condition. Kouame (2010), identified the key challenges facing the rural population as: low population density, limited to no services, disproportionate numbers of elderly, low-income, and minorities, social isolation and a high incidents of chronic illnesses.
Health promotion is defined as the process of enabling people to increase control over and improved their health. Improving health literacy is key in empowering the rural community …show more content…
Providing for a comprehensive transition plan, including timely follow-up visit with primary care provider and/or specialist. Providing sufficient discharge planning and coordination of transition care should include addressing transportation requirements since patients residing in rural areas may be susceptible to delayed treatment for chronic illnesses leading to complications. Readmissions are costly and often wasteful to both the facility and the patient. Care that is not optimally suited for managing chronic health conditions, directly affect these readmissions. The growing awareness a patient has for the need to be more active and effective managers of their health and involved in their health care. The key to improving patient literacy and activation is to increase the patient’s knowledge, skill and confidence in managing their …show more content…
Printed materials should be tailored to the consumer’s needs and developed with the involvement of a multidisciplinary team including: nursing, pharmacy, dietary, therapy, physicians and the patient. Printed information with pictorial aids increase the consumer comprehension by 27% and will improve the ability to incorporate the information into daily life, improving overall health. Using the printed information as a guide in interactions with the patient is key to remain consistent in education. Coordination with the interdisciplinary team in providing education that consistently and harmoniously help the patient and family become active participants in their health care. Integrating health literacy into all aspects of patient care will improve the overall patient experience: planning, evaluation, patient safety and quality improvement. Per Harvey and Janke (2014), chronic disease self-management programs can initiate positive behavioral changes, and those lifestyle changes can influence and improve the health of the rural populations with chronic