Authored by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care with medical journalist Nicole MacKee
Power to the people Engaged, informed consumers key in tackling unwarranted variation
Ms Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia
Engaging consumers in health care — from the point of care to the policy development level — is a critical factor in the value-based health care
knowledge to be in partnership with care teams, helps to ensure that that they are provided with the best program of care for their circumstances.’
equation, says a leading consumer health advocate. Ms Leanne Wells, CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, says consumer engagement is
Health literacy lagging
fundamental to the delivery of high-value care and in addressing unwarranted healthcare variation. ‘Consumer insights and consumer-based research can help to inform better policies, programs and service design,’ she says. ‘And, involving consumers at the point of care, equipping them with skills, confidence and
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The Health Advocate • MAY 2021
Health literacy is critical to consumer engagement, Ms Wells says, but more work is needed to build health literacy levels in Australia. She points to Australian Bureau of Statistics data reinforcing earlier findings that up to 60% of Australians appear to ‘lack the capacity to access, understand and appraise, and use crucial information about health-related conditions’.
