Our October HealthLit Chat was by far the most exciting discussion about health literacy I’ve seen on Twitter so far. More than 200 people posted more than 1,300 tweets responding to questions about health literacy, prevention and health reform.

With the help of @healthfinder, our co-hosts of the chat, we compiled a list of our top takeaway points and resources.

Here’s one comment that stuck with me: @produceconsume tweeted, “Perhaps if a desire to learn is viewed as a sign of strength, not of skills lacking, this would help the sigma of healthlit.”

This perspective points to a greater cultural barrier to improving health literacy. Not only should providers be willing to support patients’ inquiries about their health, but also patients must be willing engage in the process.

As a college composition teacher, my students’ attitudes toward learning is definitely an issue in their ultimate success. Some, especially those overwhelmed with families and full time jobs,  seem to view a college education as a ticket to a better job. They don’t have the time or desire to inquire and explore. Many students ask questions or seek learning opportunities outside of the classroom only after they’ve failed a paper or fallen behind in their work.

It makes sense that this same attitude would exist in health care. As a patient, I tend not to visit the doctor unless something is wrong. I rarely ask questions, believing that I can figure out what the doctor means later on and that the less I talk, the sooner I’ll get that prescription.

Improving health literacy needs to involve more than teaching patients what to ask and teaching providers how to communicate effectively. We also have to consider attitudes toward learning. As educators, we should encourage patients and providers to think of questions as a sign of confidence and engagement with huge benefits, not a lack of intelligence or a burden on time.

Perhaps it starts with viewing health literacy as more than just acquiring skills. As @apdolan posted during the chat, “Maybe we re-phrase #healthlit with ‘power’ & independence – nothing’s sexier than that.”

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue.