With the rise of digital health tools and abundant online resources, we live in an era where healthcare information is more accessible than ever. This information is essential to navigate one’s health journey, but without an understanding of complex data and medical jargon, test results may prompt patients to wonder what it all means.
This highlights the crucial role of health literacy—not just for interpreting results, but for empowering individuals to make informed choices about their well-being. To explore this topic in recognition of Health Literacy Month, The Daily spoke with Fredrick R. Schumacher, an associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention, Control and Population Research Program at Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Schumacher has been actively involved in health advocacy efforts, including work in East Palestine, Ohio—following last year’s toxic chemical spill from a derailed train—where understanding health implications has become increasingly vital for the community.
Read on to glean his insights on enhancing health literacy.
Q: What is health literacy? Why is it important?
Schumacher: Most people want to make informed decisions, particularly with respect to their overall health and how to maintain their health. Health literacy is the ability to find, comprehend and integrate health information into their decision-making process. This is important for making informed health decisions.
Q: What role do (or, should) healthcare providers play in enhancing their patients’ understanding of health information?
Schumacher: Healthcare providers are one of the major sources for collecting, assessing and communicating an individual’s health information. Their training and experience allow them to have a better understanding of health information to provide accurate and up-to-date guidance. However, the ability for healthcare providers to be partners with the patients, rather than purely a guide, creates a better relationship.
Q: How can individuals better understand their medical test results?
Schumacher: Medical and health information is ubiquitous today, especially with the majority of individuals owning smartphones and having access to the internet. The ease of information access does not always lead to accurate or beneficial responses. The best is to work with your healthcare providers, building on the relationship, to address specific concerns. Ask questions, and look at multiple sources.
Q: How does cultural background influence health literacy, and what steps can be taken to address these disparities?
Schumacher: Most likely cultural backgrounds come with different expectations from both the patients and the healthcare providers. This will impact health literacy and the relationship between providers and patients. Neither party should take things for granted and be sure to ask questions and provide thoughtful explanations.
Q: What impact do you think digital health tools (like apps and online portals) have on health literacy and patient advocacy?
Schumacher: These tools provide timely updates and can include as much information as needed. Unfortunately, they do not provide context for the test result and limited opportunity for questions. This will change as patients, physicians, and healthcare systems use them more frequently, however, the healthcare community will need to ensure these tools do not contribute to widening the gap of health disparities.
Q: Tell us about your team’s work in East Palestine and how health literacy factors into your success there.
Schumacher: Our research in East Palestine is focused on measuring genomic biomarkers, particularly somatic mutation rates, and correlating exposure to environmental hazards. This yields a complex amount of health information that the research field is only at the beginning of interpreting and integrating with health risks.
Our research team established a relationship with the community by being as honest as possible of what we would learn, what we could learn, and how this may impact their health. Residents asked questions, and some participated in our study. This process initiated the start of a relationship to better understand the impacts of the train derailment. The literacy went both ways as we learned about potential symptoms and health effects in the community, and we described our genomic biomarkers. This has been very important in our continued work and success in the community.