Health literacy and environmental contamination protection for children

Health Literacy and Patient Safety

Indirect Care Experience

Numerous environmental factors are likely to affect children's health. This section will focus on providing basic information on how contaminated or polluted water can affect children's health and how caregivers and parents can protect children. Children often take more water compared to adults. In addition, their immune systems are still in the process of developing. Children can acquire infectious disease through contaminated water. Some of these diseases include Paratyphoid Fever, Cholera, Typhoid, Malaria, Amoebiasis and Dysentery. Based on these aspects, it is extremely important for parents to ensure that their water supply is safe. If using a private water system, families must ensure the water is regularly tested. Measures must be adopted to prevent contaminating water supply. For those receiving water from a public system, it is necessary to understand the source of that water and its treatment process. Public water systems must plan and share water quality reports annually. Parents and caregivers must dedicate some time to read the report and raise issues. Exposure to or consumption of methyl mercury from drinking contaminated water can damage the nervous system of a child. Families must always be cautious of and abide by water consumption advisories. Beach and swim advisories must be issued and adhered to protect children's health.

Part II: Direct Care Experience

Demographical information

I interviewed Mrs. Brown, a 33-year-old graduate who recently moved to New York from Puerto Rico with her husband and three young children. She holds a degree in Accounting from Oxford University. Mrs. Brown is bilingual. However, she is more comfortable speaking Spanish. Initially, her cousin assisted her fill the forms to register her children in the Medicaid plan. From a cultural perspective, Mrs. Brown does not expect any support or an interpreter to link her with health information through health materials in Spanish language are also part of the public program. Mrs. Brown also understands the time-sensitive responsibility imposed upon parents and caregivers to re-enroll children annually.

Description of parent response to teaching

Mrs. Brown understands the power of knowledge. She demonstrated a high degree of motivation to use the information to prevent environmental factors from adversely affecting the health of their children. She said that prevention and precaution required action at a wider level. In addition, she urges all care providers to ensure that hospitals and medical practices do not add to the burden of environmental damage likely to affect children's health and future generations. Mrs. Brown is particularly urging the healthcare system to be less harmful to human health and more environmentally sustainable.

Assessment of parent understanding

Mrs. Brown did not have any difficulty remembering the verbal instructions that I conveyed during the encounter. I found that due to her high health literacy, she had a better ability to recall information. Because of my greater awareness of how health literacy could affect the recall of the verbal information I relayed, I employed strategies to confirm parent understanding.

Impressions of the experience

This experience created an impression that I was effective in communicating with caregivers and patients about environmental health risks to children's health. The information obtained share tips about what families can do to eliminate or prevent the risks.