Zacharoula Sidiropoulou, Senior Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist at Hospital São Francisco Xavier, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Day 2 of CNO25
Thanks to my collaboration with Sociedade Portuguesa de Literacia em Saúde – SPLS, I have been invited to explore:
“Empowering Patients Through Health Literacy” integrated to the “Knowledge, Information, Integration and Network – the Keys for Better Outcomes” session.
Here goes some of my data:
What if I told you that how we communicate with our patients could add 9.4 months to their survival?
Not a new drug. Not a surgical technique. Communication.
These data are impossible to ignore:
- 72.9% of Portuguese adults have limited health literacy
- Patients with adequate health literacy survive 9.4 months longer
- Poor communication increases non-adherence risk by 19%
- Communication training improves adherence by 62%
The Real Cost:
- $215-528 billion annually in the US alone
- 275,689 preventable deaths per year from medication non-adherence
- One metastatic relapse costs ~€570,000 over 3 years and a comprehensive health literacy program for 1,000 patients: ~€140,000
Do the math. Prevention pays.
Here are more shocking data:
In Guinea-Bissau, we delivered ONE culturally-adapted educational session to university students. Knowledge jumped from 41.2% to 62.8%. One session. Lasting impact.
Even in resource-limited settings, education works.
The 3 Pillars we can implement, starting today:
- ASSESS – Screen every patient with the Brief Health Literacy Screen (3 questions, 2 minutes) or the Cancer-adapted version
- ADAPT – Replace “metastatic” with “cancer has spread.” Use teach-back: “Tell me in your own words what you’ll do when you leave today.”
- TRAIN – Communication skills deserve the same rigor as surgical technique.
This Isn’t a “Soft Skill”
When 18% of patients with have limited health literacy, and their most unmet need is information, we’re not just failing to communicate, we’re compromising survival.
Think about it: We can’t change our patients’ genetics. We can’t change their stage at presentation. We can’t reverse socioeconomic disadvantage. But we CAN change how we communicate.
We have the theoretical frameworks. We have the evidence. We have the tools.
What we need now is action.
- To patients and advocates: Keep demanding clarity. “I don’t understand” is not a failure, it’s data.
- To my fellow clinicians: When did you last checked if your patient truly understood their treatment plan?
- To healthcare leaders: Is health literacy screening part of your standard intake?
Understanding is safety. Clarity is care. Communication is clinical.
Let’s make health literacy the standard of care in our everyday practice, not the exception.”
More posts featuring Zacharoula Sidiropoulou.