When discussing early childhood concerns and referrals, it is important to ensure the parents or other primary carers fully comprehend the condition and steps needed for follow up.
Clinicians must identify the health literacy level of the parents/carers and align their communication to meet them. Health literacy refers to a person’s or a community’s ability to find, understand and use information to make decisions about their health.
For people who are not fluent in English, officially translated materials may help; however, its efficacy cannot be assumed and must be checked, for example by a teach-back technique. Translated materials are ineffective for people who are illiterate in their native language.
Health literacy is linked to the family’s immediate social networks. Correct health information may be affected in practice by the social environment. Regular reviews of the application of the information in follow up encounters would help to ascertain good practice and identify any question.
Useful resources:
- Written communication
- Verbal communication
- Risk communication/numeracy
- Language and cultural diversity
- Measuring health literacy
- Organisational health literacy
This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.
