Health Literacy: A Social Worker’s Role as Patient Advocate

by Stacey Sougoufara, MSW

     October is Health Literacy Month. Social workers can play critical roles in promoting health literacy. My current job as a patient advocate synthesizes core aspects of what social workers are professionally prepared to do. For instance, our profession’s emphasis on empowerment and social justice, along with our systems approach, makes social workers ideally suited for this role.

What Is Health Literacy?

     The Centers for Disease Control defines personal health literacy as “the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”  CDC defines organizational health literacy as “the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”

     Personal health literacy improves patient competence and confidence when making healthcare choices. This literacy empowers individuals to collaborate with providers and healthcare institutions, while advocating for themselves and their families. Organizational health literacy emphasizes the systemic responsibility for equitably promoting health literacy.

     Ultimately, the goal of health literacy is to encourage patients to understand and apply healthcare knowledge. Healthcare organizations have a responsibility to provide health literacy information that encourages patients to become active, empowered participants in their care. Ensuring guidance through the healthcare system, including enhanced access to health literacy, is the role of patient advocates.

Patient Advocates Are Key to Health Literacy

     As a patient advocate, my primary role is to bridge the gap in care that occurs beyond the walls of an onsite health center and the community. My responsibilities are organized into four complementary categories:

• care coordination
• engagement
• education, and
• population risk management.

     Through these four categories, as a social worker with knowledge and experience in healthcare, I work with individuals, families, and communities to be empowered to integrate social services.

     Patient advocates are uniquely positioned to provide health literacy by educating and coaching both individuals and groups in the communities they serve. The patient advocate also functions as a liaison between the patients and their health care provider systems. To ensure positive health outcomes, patient advocates join forces with an interdisciplinary medical team, including physicians, to develop targeted outreach and education campaigns for high-risk and high-claim employees/patients. A primary goal is to prevent and reduce low health literacy, which may lead to negative health outcomes, particularly for high-risk patients.

Health Literacy as an Opportunity for Change

     Patient advocates meet with high-risk patients frequently, as patients who receive diagnosis in high-risk categories are often unfamiliar or unsure how to make needed lifestyle changes. For instance, I met with a patient, “Rosa,” who described obstacles preventing her from embracing the exercise and diet changes necessary to address diabetes mellitus. Because Rosa understood the treatment goal, we were able to work together, identifying the supports needed to overcome obstacles and adhere to her treatment plan. I provided Rosa with health literature addressing nutrition, meal preparation, and low-maintenance exercise. She also received and agreed to use a portion plate designed for people with diabetes and prediabetes. Together, we identified her support system, which includes her husband and other family members, along with her medical team, including her physician and myself, as her advocate. By joining with the patient, I was able to clarify complex medical information. By providing actionable knowledge, practical tools, and relevant resources, I empowered the patient to make changes necessary for a healthier lifestyle.

     In another example of my role, I recently planned and executed a (COVID-precaution-safe) “family day” for 200 participants. I provided community resources such as informational flyers on COVID vaccines and cancer prevention fact sheets. In meeting informally with family members, I was able to let family members know of the range of services available in our health center. This event created a sense of connection, which will help the patients and families feel more comfortable accessing services. Forging these connections and providing these tangible services are meaningful aspects of the role—creating positive change at multiple levels. 

     These are two of myriad examples of how health literacy can have a positive impact. In a complex and overwhelming healthcare environment, providing patients with medical and systemic knowledge is essential. When delivered by a patient advocate who can also address social determinants of health, guide patients through the healthcare system, and engage those who are at high risk, health literacy can have dramatic impacts on both healthcare costs and well-being outcomes. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be an active participant in their wholistic care, which patient advocates strive to facilitate every day.

     A person’s physical and mental health is affected by systemic factors. Likewise, one’s health has compounding impact on all areas of life—such as relationships, finances, and general well-being.  As a dedicated social worker, I find it gratifying to bring all my professional skills, values, and knowledge to the role of patient advocate to promote positive change.  

Stacey Sougoufara, MSW, serves as the patient advocate for UA Local 502 & 633 Wellness Center, Proactive MD, in Louisville, KY. Stacey has worked in various areas of practice, including elder care and behavioral health.