Health literacy can be defined as the competence of people to access, understand, evaluate, and use information to make health decisions in everyday life. It helps people make the right choice in cases where the boundaries between work and life are not so clear.
When people fall ill, they look for better treatments. But how could they know about these methods of treatment if they were not provided with easy-to-understand information in the first place? Pharmaceutical firms develop countless drugs and devices to help people cope with their condition, but only in some cases are the advertisements presented in such a way as to educate the patient. By spending more time to ensure that all their communications are understood by people of any level of education, pharmaceutical firms can improve health literacy.
Health literacy issues
According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (health communication activities), more than a third of adults — 77 million people — would face general health problems, such as the following prescription drug label or immunization requirements for children with using a standard chart.1
A report by the Institute of Medicine states that 90 million people, almost half of the US adult population, lack the health literacy skills needed to understand and take action on health information and health system requirements. Health care has a long way before patients. It may be easier to find and understand the information they receive from these businesses.
The current methods used in the market for people with health are reduced to the fact that the education of patients falls on the sidelines. People find players and models less relevant than real patients. If patients do not have the health literacy necessary to understand advertisements, the information provided may mislead them or be misunderstood.
" ONLY 12% of adults have qualified health literacy "
The US Department of Health and Human Services said only 12 percent of adults have reasonable health literacy. Poor patient education can lead to poor management of chronic diseases and even cause failures. People may miss their much-needed appointments or tests, do not have the ability to manage conditions, often be hospitalized, and face high health care costs. If patients do not know the questions they need to ask about their medications, in essence of how the medicine will act or react, they may experience negative consequences.
Health literacy as a strategic marketing asset and corporate social responsibility
Health literacy may cease to be a problem if both pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals take steps to educate their patients. The rapid development of various communication channels made people seem ubiquitous. This gives medical professional access to various communication channels (social networks, blogs, community forums, patient education discs, etc.) to receive health information.
Although there are many ways for pharmaceutical companies to improve marketing through health literacy, the first step would be to start with writing information that is easily understood.
"Simplicity is the basis of refinement."
- Leonardo da Vinci
The use of technical jargons (in this case, industrial medical terminology) can affect health literacy, because patients cannot understand what words mean. Pharmaceutical companies must adhere to the local language and style of writing so that people know what they are doing using a special medical device or taking medicine.
Even a way of presenting information can improve understanding. The United States Department of Health and Human Services believes the text should have at least 12 point fonts with little or no formatting, such as a script or images. Bullet points can be used to highlight information and add meaning to your message. Facts must be presented in short phrases and phrases so that patients are not overwhelmed when they read health literature.
Multi-channel marketing has its own set of problems. Pamphlets and brochures offer small bursts of information in one place. However, when it comes to websites, most people try to find information. If pharmaceutical companies seek to expand their online presence and invest in various types of web marketing activities, it is wise to design websites that are user friendly. These websites should be clearly categorized, have a simple layout and use different media.
Taking into account the explosion of information that is now available to patients, direct advertising for consumers is the best choice for pharmaceutical companies. By presenting information in an understandable form, pharmaceutical companies can increase patient education with their publication.
