Health literacy as an element of the Polish occupational health system
Journal Title: Medycyna Pracy - Year 2016, Vol 67, Issue 5
Abstract
Nowadays it is believed that a comprehensive approach towards one’s health requires the development and subsequent mastering of health literacy. Although this term has no Polish equivalent, it applies to the ability of individuals to access, analyze and understand information necessary to make informed health decisions. In this publication it is suggested that ‘biegłość zdrowotna’ can be used as a corresponding Polish term. This publication is based on the review of the available literature (in Polish and in English) on health literacy. To illustrate the hypothetical level of health literacy among Polish employers and employees reports of the Chief Labour Inspectorate and individual items from the Second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2) were used. The analysis proves that health literacy is a multidimensional concept which has been studied and investigated so far only in relation to chosen nosological units, but practically it does not appear in relation to occupational health. There are reasons to believe that in Poland the low level of health literacy among both employers and employees, lies at the forefront of a passive approach towards the safeguarding of workers health. The concept of health literacy needs further dissemination in Poland, whereas the main area of future research should be the design of the Polish tool for assessing health literacy. The national system of occupational health seems to offer a possible ground for implementing such a concept, especially bearing in mind that within the current system there are several entities and services, which have the legal mandate to undertake informative and advisory duties – exactly those, which help build and master health literacy skills. Med Pr 2016;67(5):681–689
Authors and Affiliations
Maciej Dobras
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP282780
- DOI 10.13075/mp.5893.00410
- Views 150
- Downloads 0
NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES IN A GROUP OF EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS – THE ROLE OF PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESOURCES
Background: The purpose of the research is to investigate the role of personal (spirituality) and social (social support in the workplace) resources in both negative (post-traumatic stress disorder – PTSD symptoms) an...
Quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease in the context of professional work and physiotherapy
Background: Of many diseases and disorders of the nervous system Parkinson’s disease (PD) deserves a particular attention for its specific effects having an impact on the ability to undertake different forms of professio...
ANALIZA ZGŁOSZEŃ PODEJRZENIA CHORÓB WYWOŁANYCH SPOSOBEM WYKONYWANIA PRACY W KONTEKŚCIE PATOLOGII UZNANYCH ZA CHOROBY ZAWODOWE
[b]Wstęp: [/b]W doniesieniu przedstawiono obserwowany w ostatnich latach w Dolnośląskim Wojewódzkim Ośrodku Medycyny Pracy (DWOMP) we Wrocławiu wzrost liczby zgłoszeń podejrzenia chorób wywołanych sposobem wykonywania pr...
Non-occupational but work-related diseases – Legislation, judicature and potential implications to employers and employees in Poland
Background: Non-occupational work-related diseases refer to health problems of multifactorial etiology, the occurrence, development and prognosis of which may be affected by work environment or by the way the work is per...
The prophylactic operational model integrated with occupational healthcare – Prophylactic of some types of cancers among women
Periodical medical examinations are mandatory for employees in Poland. This rule makes a unique opportunity during occupational health services for implementation of prophylactic activities focused on early diagnosis of...