Summary
Health literacy refers to the degree people can access and understand health information to make informed and appropriate health decisions. This report focuses on the health literacy experiences among Māori and their whānau carers who use palliative care.
There is a limited amount of New Zealand research into the Māori experience of palliative care and issues of access. The report focuses on gaining a better understanding of ways to increase access to, and the quality of, palliative care services for Māori patients and their whānau by strengthening health literacy.
It summarises the key points from two health literacy and palliative care research reports:
- Māori health literacy and communication in palliative care: Kaumātua-led models (PDF, 2.83 MB), (docx, 5.73 MB)
- Kia Mau te Kahu Whakamauru: Health Literacy in Palliative Care - University of Auckland website.
The report also provides recommendations for actions to enhance Māori health literacy and access to palliative care.