When Words Become Risks: An Interprofessional Framework for Preventing Health Literacy-Related Patient Harm
Abstract
Background: Limited health literacy affects approximately one-third of adults in developed nations, creating a critical patient safety vulnerability. When patients cannot effectively access, understand, or apply health information, the risks of medication errors, missed diagnoses, poor self-management, and avoidable hospitalizations escalate. Addressing this challenge requires moving beyond patient education to systemic, interprofessional strategies.
Aim: This narrative review aims to synthesize evidence on interprofessional, system-level strategies that mitigate health literacy-related patient safety risks, focusing on the synergistic roles of health assistants, nurses, pharmacists, and health informatics.
Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases (2010-2024) was conducted. Keywords included health literacy, patient safety, medication errors, interprofessional communication, universal precautions, and health informatics. Included literature comprised systematic reviews, interventional studies, qualitative analyses, and grey literature from safety organizations.
Results: Effective mitigation is a shared responsibility. Health assistants provide crucial relational continuity and identify comprehension gaps. Nurses operationalize teach-back and plain language in clinical workflows. Pharmacists conduct brown-bag medication reviews and simplify complex regimens. Health informatics supports these roles through patient-friendly portals, automated medication reconciliation, and clinical decision support alerts for high-risk patients. Integration of these roles via structured protocols reduces communication breakdowns and preventable harm.
Conclusion: Health literacy is not a patient deficit but a design flaw in healthcare systems. An interprofessional, "universal precautions" approach—leveraging the unique skills of frontline and informatics teams—is essential to build safer, more equitable healthcare communication and reduce errors.
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References
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Authors
Copyright (c) 2024 Bader Mohammed Alanazi, Fahad Almubayrikn, Abdulrahman Abdullah Alenazi, Miqad Gaed Alotaibi, Mudaysh Yahya Ahmad Bajawi, Reham Abdu Abdallah Refaee, Entesar Gebreel Ahmed Showaihy, Mohammed Saud Saad Alsaedi, Fatema Ayesh Alhassan Aladeny, Ohoud Alhumidi Almutairi, Azzam Ali Hamoud Alharbi, Nasser Ibrahem Nasser Almohaizef, Rahmah Fatel Samran AL-Ruwaily, Hana Ashawi Alanazi
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