後疫情時代以健康識能為本的高齡者衛教

Providing Health-Literacy-Level-Appropriate Health Education to Older Adults in the Post-Pandemic Era

因應疫病的傳染性、多變性以及嚴重性，高齡者面臨生活與就醫型態改變，必須更加謹慎及積極的自我健康管理。良好的自我健康管理必須仰賴足夠的健康識能為基礎，以正確解讀與運用健康資訊，進而能與健康專業人員溝通，並能將所獲資訊進行分析與判斷，為自我健康處置做出正確的決策，並持續與健康專業人員合作執行健康照護行動。然而，調查發現本國有近半數高齡者健康識能不理想，而健康識能將影響個人之健康狀況，凸顯出促進高齡者健康識能之重要性。因此，本文介紹了健康識能的內涵、重要相關因素及其對健康之影響，並根據理論及相關研究支持，從制訂健康識能公共政策、調整健康服務取向、建構健康識能友善資訊環境、強化社區健康識能教育資源、促進高齡學習及醫病共享決策等構面，提出促進高齡者健康識能之衛生教育策略，期能提供相關實務之參考。

The rapidly changing and high-risk nature of communicable diseases for older adults require individuals in this age group to appropriately change their lifestyle and healthcare habits and engage in self-care more actively and seriously. Good self-health management relies on good health literacy in order to be able to read, understand, and apply relevant health information; to communicate clearly with healthcare providers; and to take health-related decisions and actions. The results of research indicate the health literacy of over 50% of older adults in Taiwan to be inadequate, which may be expected to negatively impact on related health outcomes. After introducing the content, determinants, and impacts of health literacy, the author suggests strategies to improve health literacy in older adults in five activity domains based on current theories and research findings. These domains include: formulate public policies for health literacy, adjust the orientation of health services, construct a friendly healthy information environment for health literacy, strengthen community health literacy education resources, and promote gerontological education and shared decision-making in health care.