Education

Language barriers in healthcare lead to miscommunication between the medical professional and patient, reducing both parties’ satisfaction and decreasing the quality of healthcare delivery and patient safety. One study reported that the implementation of online translation tools such as Google Translate and MediBabble in hospitals increased the satisfaction of both medical providers and patients (to 92 percent) and improved the quality of healthcare delivery and patient safety.

Key Attributes of Education

People with higher education have greater access to economic resources, enabling them to secure better quality health care and homes located iin areas with fewer environmental toxins.

Higher education builds skills in assessing complex healthcare information and their role in it, and lower income is linked with less education. Many studies show an association between lower socioeconomic conditions and higher rates of chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and others.

The “Dropping out of school and chronic disease in the United States” article showed that people who do not graduate high school report having at least one chronic health condition.

Education Adds Years to Life Expectancy

Adults with higher educational attainment have better health and lifespans compared to their less-educated peers. Tertiary education, particularly, is critical in influencing infant mortality, life expectancy, child vaccination, and enrollment rates. In addition, an economy needs to consider potential years of life lost (premature mortality) as a measure of health quality.