Health and Literacy Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society: Omicron Alpha Chapter Octob

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Health and LiteracySigma Theta Tau
International Nursing Honor Society Omicron
Alpha ChapterOctober 2, 2008

• Marsha L. Tait, National Coalition for Literacy
• Donna Valerino, Literacy Volunteers of Greater
  Syracuse

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Presentation Highlights

• The Scope of Adult Literacy Globally and in the
  US
• The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
• The NAAL Health Literacy Report
• Tips and Techniques for Health Care Providers
• Resources

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Why Should You Care?

• Poor Health Outcomes
• Poor Health Knowledge
• Less Frequent Screening and Preventive Care
• Increased Use of Emergency Rooms
• Increased Hospitalization
• Higher Rates of Disease and Mortality

Baker et al, 1997
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Global Adult Literacy

• The UN defines illiteracy as having no reading
  and writing skills at all
• UNESCO estimates more than 770 million adults are
  illiterate
• Two-thirds of illiterate adults are women
• UN Decade of Literacy Cut illiteracy in half by
  2015

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• The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
  (NAAL) was the first examination of the literacy
  skills of Americas adults in more than a decade
• A nationally representative household survey of
  more than 19,000 adults, including adults in
  prison

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Patient Interviews
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NAAL What is Adult Literacy in the US?
Definition using printed and written information
to function in society, to achieve goals, and to
develop knowledge and potential.
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2003 NAAL Key Findings

• 11 million adults are Non-literate in English
• 30 million adults have Below Basic Literacy
  skills
• 63 million adults have Basic Literacy skills

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Special NAAL Report Health Literacy
Definition The degree to which individuals have
the capacity to obtain, process, and understand
basic health literacy information and services
needed to make appropriate health decisions.
?
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AMA Definition of Health Literacy
Definition the ability to read and comprehend
prescription bottles, appointment slips and other
essential health-related materials required to
successfully function as a patient.
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Health Literacy Skills
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Health Literacy by Gender

• More men (16) than women (12) had Below Basic
  or Basic Literacy Skills
• Less men (51) than women (55) had Intermediate
  literacy skills
• Men had lower average health literacy scores
  (242) than women (248)

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Health Literacy Skills of Older Americans

• Adults aged 65 had the lowest average health
  literacy scores
• More Americans aged 65 had Below Basic or Basic
  Skills than any other age group (29 30)
• Adults with Medicare and Medicaid or no health
  insurance had the lowest average health literacy
  scores

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Health Condition Self-Assessment
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Characteristics of Population with Low Health
Literacy
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Source of Health Information

• A higher percent of adults with Below Basic or
  Basic literacy skills cited radio and television
  as their primary source of health information.

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Information from Professionals
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Information From People
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Information From Print
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Information From The Net
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Information From The Airwaves
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Factors Affecting Patient Provider Communication

• Additional factors that may hinder understanding
  
• Intimidation, fear, vulnerability
• Shock upon hearing a diagnosis
• Extenuating stress within the patient's family
• Multiple health conditions to understand and treat

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• Make Effective Communications an Organizational
  Priority
• Address Patients Communication Needs Across the
  Continuum of Care
• Pursue Policy Changes that Promote Improved
  Provider-Patient Communications

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What Can You Do?

• Train your staff to
• Create a safe environment where patients feel
  comfortable talking openly with you
• Use plain language instead of technical language
  or medical jargon
• Sit down (instead of standing) to achieve eye
  level with your patient
• Use visual models to illustrate a procedure or
  condition
• Ask patients to "teach back" the care
  instructions you give to them

From Askme3.org
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3
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• What is my main problem?
• What do I need to do?
• Why is it important for me to do this?

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Signage
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Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

• Refer to helpful and appropriate sources of
  information
• A widely used analgesic, antipyretic, and
  anti-inflammatory agent also used as an
  antiplatelet agent...

www.webmd.com
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Avoid Jargon

• Hypertension vs High Blood Pressure
• Fatigued vs Tired
• Acetaminophen vs Tylenol
• Febrile vs Feverish
• Myopathy vs Muscle Aches

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Become An Advocate!

• Americans spend more money on premium label
  ice cream each year than on adult basic education
  and literacy programs!

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Partner with
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Health Literacy Resources

• www.askme3.org
• www.cdc.gov/az/a.html
• www.healthliteracy.worlded.org/index
• www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/
• www.jointcommission.org
• www.lvgs.org
• www.national-coalition-literacy.org
• www.proliteracy.org
• www.rwjf.org

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New!

• Medicare officials unveiled a new tool kit last
  week that can help adult educators teach the
  nearly 88,000 participants in adult education
  programs who are 60 or older about the benefits
  of Medicare. The tool kit includes materials
  describing Medicare as well as material for
  caregivers for persons eligible for Medicare. The
  materials, developed with input from OVAE, are
  available online at Medicares new Web site by
  clicking on Ask Medicare. Information in Spanish
  also is available on the site.

www.medicare.gov
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Clear Communication

• What is clear to you is clear to you. Every
  patient should be a full partner in his or her
  medical decisions. This requires crystal-clear
  communication that is done with compassion and
  mutual respect.

Toni Cordell, former adult literacy student
and health literacy advocate
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And Remember
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mltait_at_maxwell.syr.edu
Thank You!

• dvalerino_at_lvgs.org