Experts agree that health literacy is also one of the many factors that have contributed to the uncontrolled viral spread and disproportionately high COVID death tolls.
With the emergence of novel viral strains and the anticipation of newer vaccines, health literacy takes on greater urgency in the U.S. Health literacy is the ability to obtain, understand, and act on basic health information.
Unfortunately, the U.S. has very poor rates of health literacy. According to the Department of Education, only 12% of U.S. adults had "proficient" health literacy. International adult literacy surveys further support this finding, as they have also found low rates of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills among US adults, all of which are essential components of health literacy.
Dr. Tista Ghosh, MD, MPH is senior medical director at Grand Rounds. Dr. Ghosh is a physician trained in both internal medicine and preventive medicine, with her MD from Indiana University and her master's degree in public health from Yale University. She also has had specialized training in applied epidemiology and public health practice through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has served our country as a Lieutenant-Commander in the United States Public Health Service. Recommended For You
All of this comes at a cost. It prevents people from doing what's best for their health, and contributes to the rise in preventable comorbidities and unnecessary hospitalizations. Experts agree that health literacy is also one of the many factors that have contributed to the uncontrolled viral spread and disproportionately high COVID death tolls.
If we want this pandemic to end, employers should step up and do all they can to ensure the public understands and acts upon scientifically and medically sound health information. The reinforcement of medically sound information does not have to rest on public health institutions alone; private enterprises have a role to play in creating a "surround sound" in various areas of our lives; this is particularly important when it comes to the COVID vaccines and their uptake.
Here are a couple activations that an employer of any size can consider:
Provide simple vaccine education
Government vaccine websites may be difficult to navigate or understand for some employees. Ask a sample of your employees to look through these publicly available sites and tell you if they meet their needs. If not, work with health partners to develop more simplified educational material that may resonate with your employee population.
Consider offering this education in multiple languages and formats (written, video, auditory, etc.) to reach different types of learners. Offering digital platforms to employees can provide them with multi-media education options (voice, text, video) that they can then select and repeat to meet their individual learning needs.
Offer clinical support on-site or virtually (or both!)
Bring in a local clinician to hold a "vaccine townhall." Be sure to prepare the clinician to ensure they know more about your workforce and can communicate scientific information in simple, plain language that your employees will understand. Ask the clinician if they are trained with how to deal with inbound questions about vaccine hesitancy and how to answer questions in a transparent and thoughtful manner. Don't forget to convey to your workforce that virtual clinical support services are available for employees who may be shy about asking questions in a group setting, but are interested to have their questions answered individually.
Make vaccination easy for employees
Create worksite policies that promote vaccinations. Like blood donation sites that visit corporations onsite, if possible, offer to provide vaccines on company grounds or work with a health or navigation partner to get your employees vaccinated when they are eligible. Another aspect to consider is offering paid time off to employees to encourage getting the vaccine, without the worry about needing to take additional time off. Consider wellness rewards or other incentives for those who choose to participate.
Vaccinating our population will be the key to ending this pandemic. Low health literacy and vaccine hesitancy will be key barriers to achieving this goal. Employers and their healthcare partners have an opportunity to make a difference.
