Health literacy awareness

Health literacy awareness

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) and the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) have produced a number of health literacy awareness videos to support cancer patients and their families. MSD Ireland funded the videos.

We developed these videos to give detailed information around a number of key areas, which affect patients’ lives on a daily basis. They are short and concise, providing a patient perspective and including helpful tips and advice.

Getting the most from your health appointments

In this video Karen Dowling (Sheahan), Cervical Cancer Survivor, shares her experience and advice of attending appointments.

“In the consultations the medical language can be very confusing and there’s a lot of acronyms used, and words that we just don’t understand. So for me, it was important to ask lots of questions.”

Getting test results

Here Siobhán Hayes, Endometrial Cancer Survivor, talks about how it can be difficult to fully understand what health test results mean for you and suggests:

“to actually bring somebody with you to the appointment because you are told so much in just such a short space of a few minutes and it’s really hard to take it all in.”

Getting health information and support between appointments

Tony Moloney, adult literacy learner, talks about the courage and confidence to go to your doctor and ask for information.

“The biggest thing I can say to anybody that has a problem is to visit your doctor, ask your doctor.”

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