Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective

Glässel, Andrea; Tyebally Fang, Mirriam; Hendriks, Manya J.; Biller-Andorno, Nikola

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-24978

Publication type:	Book part
Type of review:	Editorial review
Title:	Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective
Authors:	Glässel, Andrea Tyebally Fang, Mirriam Hendriks, Manya J. Biller-Andorno, Nikola
et. al:	Yes
DOI:	10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12 10.21256/zhaw-24978
Published in:	Narrative ethics in public health : the value of stories
Editors of the parent work:	Barrett, Drue H. Ortmann, Leonard W. Larson, Stephanie A.
Page(s):	169
Pages to:	180
Issue Date:	2022
Series:	Public Health Ethics Analysis
Series volume:	7
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Cham
ISBN:	978-3-030-91443-1 978-3-030-92080-7
Language:	English
Subjects:	Health literacy; Patient experience; Pregnancy; Database of Individual Patients’ Experiences (DIPEx); Vulnerability; Narrative
Subject (DDC):	610: Medicine and health 808: Rhetoric and writing
Abstract:	Most people have little interaction with the health system and tend to be unfamiliar with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of even common health conditions. In case of illness, the medical information delivered by health professionals can be overwhelming because of its complexity, unfamiliar terminology, and use of statistical data. Understanding such information requires specifc “health literacy” skills. Health literacy empowers individuals to exercise their autonomy and self-determination regarding health-related matters. This chapter explores how health literacy and ethical questions are interrelated as illustrated using actual patient narratives of a woman’s pregnancy experiences. The narratives were collected as part of the Swiss DIPEx (Database of individual patients’ experiences) database. We demonstrate that narratives of health experiences can be used to enhance health literacy. Firstly, narratives can convey complex information in an easily understandable manner. Secondly, they allow policymakers to understand, the informational needs of users of the health care system and the communication gaps they perceive can help improve the health care system and qualitative evaluate and improve medical communication efforts. The chapter ends by raising a number of ethical questions at the individual and health system level related to the use of narratives for improving health literacy for discussion.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/24978
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Health Sciences
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Public Health (IPH)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Gesundheit

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Glässel, A., Tyebally Fang, M., Hendriks, M. J., & Biller-Andorno, N. (2022). Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective. In D. H. Barrett, L. W. Ortmann, & S. A. Larson (Eds.), Narrative ethics in public health : the value of stories (pp. 169–180). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12

Glässel, A. et al. (2022) ‘Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective’, in D.H. Barrett, L.W. Ortmann, and S.A. Larson (eds) Narrative ethics in public health : the value of stories. Cham: Springer, pp. 169–180. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12.

A. Glässel, M. Tyebally Fang, M. J. Hendriks, and N. Biller-Andorno, “Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective,” in Narrative ethics in public health : the value of stories, D. H. Barrett, L. W. Ortmann, and S. A. Larson, Eds. Cham: Springer, 2022, pp. 169–180. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12.

GLÄSSEL, Andrea, Mirriam TYEBALLY FANG, Manya J. HENDRIKS und Nikola BILLER-ANDORNO, 2022. Using narratives to improve health literacy : an ethical and public health perspective. In: Drue H. BARRETT, Leonard W. ORTMANN und Stephanie A. LARSON (Hrsg.), Narrative ethics in public health : the value of stories. Cham: Springer. S. 169–180. ISBN 978-3-030-91443-1

Glässel, Andrea, Mirriam Tyebally Fang, Manya J. Hendriks, and Nikola Biller-Andorno. 2022. “Using Narratives to Improve Health Literacy : An Ethical and Public Health Perspective.” In Narrative Ethics in Public Health : The Value of Stories, edited by Drue H. Barrett, Leonard W. Ortmann, and Stephanie A. Larson, 169–80. Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12.

Glässel, Andrea, et al. “Using Narratives to Improve Health Literacy : An Ethical and Public Health Perspective.” Narrative Ethics in Public Health : The Value of Stories, edited by Drue H. Barrett et al., Springer, 2022, pp. 169–80, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92080-7_12.