Understanding patient
health literacy is an essential part of our daily practice. Harrington (2012) published
an article about improving health literacy. Immediately following the teaching
of medical information during a healthcare encounter, 40%-80% of the
information is forgotten (Harrington, 2012). Limited health literacy leads to
poorer health status and quality of life, difficulty taking medications correctly,
increased rates of hospitalizations, lower immunization rates, decreased health
knowledge, and shorter life spans. The article discusses the importance of
forming relationships with patients, and active listening. Through these
methods mutual trust is built, inspiring patients to participate in their care.
Understanding personal needs and motivations for change lead to relevant
treatment plans. The article discusses improving health literacy through the
following resources for providers:
The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) website offers insights about moms, teens, tweens, baby
boomers, older generations, and the Hispanic cultural. These resources describe
insights into the patient population, facts about the group, targeted health communication,
lifestyle trends, top concerns, health-related concerns, health behaviors and attitudes,
media habits, and interests and hobbies. The information is helpful to improve
communication between the provider and the patient population groups listed.
The public health foundation
offers a free, 5 CEU credit course titled Effective
Communication Tools for Healthcare Professionals 101. This is a self-paced
course that teaches providers how to manage cultural barriers, bridge knowledge
gaps, and correctly use tools for low English proficiency patients.
An additional
website specific to Arizona:
Health Literacy
of Arizona offers data, publications, training resources, assessment tools,
patient resources, and techniques that can be used to improve health literacy
and communication between providers and patients.
References
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention [CDC]. (2012). Gateway to
health communication & social marketing practice. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/Audience/index.html
Harrington, C. C. (2012). How can
you improve health literacy? Advance for
NPs & PAs, 3(10), 15. Retrieved from www.advanceweb.com/NPPA
Health Literacy Arizona. (2011). Health literacy. Retrieved from http://healthliteracy.pharmacy.arizona.edu/index.html
Public Health Foundation. (2012).
Effective communication tools for
healthcare professionals 101 (with continuing education credits). Retrieved
from https://www.train.org/DesktopModules/eLearning/CourseDetails/CourseDetailsForm.aspx?tabid=62&CourseID=1010510
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