Health Literacy of Mrs. Gamble, an Atrial Fibrillation Patient - Assignment Help

Introduction

Health literacy is becoming increasingly important in the healthcare system for improving health outcomes. A recent study by Jayasinghe, et. al. (2016) has found how higher health literacy and knowledge about lifestyle risk areas can improve the quality of life in patients. These authors also concluded that health practitioners need to recognise the importance of communicating tailored health information to patients. Health literacy not only enhances the health of individuals, but also the overall health of the industry by saving huge healthcare costs. According to Paterick, et. al. (2017), the healthcare cost projections are appalling, Therefore, the authors also felt that clinicians must incorporate health literacy in their practice for educating patients and engaging them actively. They are at the forefront of  imparting accurate, timely and relevant health information to patients.

Mrs. Gamble's case appears to be a typical case of low health literacy and therefore, there is a lot of responsibility on the part of Mrs. Gamble's doctors and nurses at the hospital to improve her health-related knowledge. She had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AF) three months prior to the recent hospitalisation and had been prescribed Warfarin (Coumadin) tablets. However, at the hospital, she was found to have been non-compliant with her Warfarin medication regime as she could not pick her Coumadin doses properly. She was also found to be unaware of why she needed to avoid certain foods. Under such circumstances, her physicians recommended putting her into a health literacy plan so that she knows exactly what to do with her AF condition and why. This was thought to be more important because Mrs. Gamble lived alone and was solely responsible for her medication adherence. This document outlines her week-long health education plan at the hospital before discharge.

Case Background

The case involves a 78-year-old widow, Mrs. Gamble, who has been suffering from the condition atrial fibrillation. AF involves irregular beating of the heart that increases the risk of heart failure, stroke and other heart-oriented problems (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Although AF is not generally life-threatening, it is a serious ailment which may lead to complications if not managed properly and consistently (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Therefore, Mrs. Gamble's Warfarin non-adherence, although unintentional, can cause serious health issues if allowed to continue. 

Her recent pneumonia led her into hospitalisation, where it was detected that she was not fully compliant to her Warfarin therapy. This detection was a blessing in disguise as continued non-adherence would have further worsened the condition of her heart. Consequently, the hospital staff decided against her discharge although her pneumonia was cured upon administering antibiotics. The decision came after Mrs. Gamble's INR was found to be at 1.5, well below the normal therapeutic range of 2.0-3.5 in AF patients (Harris, 2012).