Higher degrees of health literacy support patients at every stage of their journeys: they help to navigate decision-making and elevate patients to partners. If combined with health literate institutions, the coproduction of health can improve patient care and help reduce costs of unnecessary and inappropriate medical intervention.

Policy changes to increase health literacy have been notoriously difficult to implement, due also to a lack of evidence about the correlation between measures to increase health literacy and actual outcomes. Several initiatives have taken on the task to create such evidence. Most recently, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan promises to make cancer literacy a priority for European policy makers, guidelines, and programs of action.

What do we know about the value of health literacy, where do we need to know more? How can we achieve higher degrees of health literacy? What lessons can we draw from the current pandemic? Join two outstanding experts for an Early Bird discussion on health literacy!

The debate, started at the European Cancer Forum, continues with a new webinar in the series Issues in Cancer Care – The Early Bird Debate.

One issue, two speakers, two opinions, register now for the next webinar “Taking the next step: health literacy and the fight against cancer” on 14 April 2021, from 8:30am CET to hear from:

Ilona Kickbusch, Founding Director and Chair, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva

Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Moderated by, Duane Schulthess, Managing Director, Vital Transformation