{"id":3659031,"date":"2024-12-06T13:49:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T18:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vip2-msd.com\/merckcom-migrated\/?post_type=story&p=3659031"},"modified":"2025-08-29T10:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T14:54:14","slug":"how-were-addressing-health-literacy","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/vip2-msd.com\/merckcom-migrated\/stories\/how-were-addressing-health-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"How we’re addressing health literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n \n Sustainability<\/small>\n <\/a>\n \n \n

\n How we’re addressing health literacy\n <\/h1>\n

Many people struggle to understand health information, which can impact health outcomes. What we're doing to support health literacy.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

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December 6, 2024<\/p>\n

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What is health literacy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At points in our lives, we need to make health or medical decisions for ourselves, members of our family or those in our care.  And sometimes it can be challenging. Whether it\u2019s deciding to receive a vaccine, start a new medication, undergo a procedure or join a clinical trial, our level of health literacy \u2014 the ability to find, understand and use information and services \u2014 can play an important role in health outcomes. Unfortunately, when people struggle, there may be negative health consequences, like decreased adherence to treatment plans, increased emergency room visits and hospital stays, and higher mortality rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low health literacy is more common in vulnerable populations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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While limited health literacy can affect anyone, there are certain populations at greater risk: older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, those with low income or less education, and people with compromised health status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a company committed to helping save and improve lives, it\u2019s our responsibility to communicate in a way that people can understand so that they can make informed health decisions,\u201d said Shehla Hussain, director, medical writing safety services.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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People with better health literacy are more likely to proactively engage in disease preventive behaviors and make informed decisions about their well-being. On the other hand, people with lower or limited health literacy may struggle to understand relevant information, leading to an increased risk of poor health outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/section>\n <\/article>\n\t\t\t <\/section>\n\t<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How we\u2019re making medical information easier to understand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re committed to making sure the information we share with the world is very clear. It\u2019s something we\u2019ve focused on since 2011, long before the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services updated the definition of health literacy in 2020 to acknowledge that organizations have a responsibility to enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of our efforts, we created a plain language glossary and established company-wide standards focused on improving the health literacy of the information in our resources and materials. It starts in product development and continues through the life cycle of the product, including clinical trials, labeling, post-approval, marketing and promotional materials. For example, we\u2019re:<\/p>\n\n\n\n