Healthcare Literacy

Healthcare literacy is understanding your health and healthcare plan so that you can proactively engage in self-management at home, (medication, monitoring, diet, activity) recognize when changes in health occur, and be prepared to activate your healthcare system. The responsibility for healthcare literacy falls on patients, healthcare providers, healthcare systems, and family and community support systems.

Let’s talk about managing your medications when you return home.

During your hospitalization, there were likely changes made to your medications. Why?

• Your health condition required new or different medications

• Your health condition required increases or decreases in medications

• The healthcare facility didn’t carry your brand so they prescribed a similar medication

• Some medications were deemed “not necessary” during your hospitalization

Before you leave the hospital or rehab center, make sure you have:

• Your complete medication list with reason, dose, frequency, and intended length of treatment (how long are you going to take that medication)

• Prescriptions for all of your medications.

When you get home

• Make an appointment with your primary care provider ASAP

• Review your new medication list with your primary care provider

• Do not start taking old or previous medications until you have reviewed all medications with your primary care provider