Presentation on theme: "Health Literacy Its Importance to Healthcare Professionals Michelle Burda, MLS (412) 624-1589 Network and Advocacy Coordinator National."— Presentation transcript:
Health Literacy Its Importance to Healthcare Professionals Michelle Burda, MLS firstname.lastname@example.org (412) 624-1589 Network and Advocacy Coordinator National Network of Libraries of Medicine Middle Atlantic Region Developed by NN/LM staff. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00003-C with the University of Pittsburgh- Health Sciences Library System.
Objectives After this session you will: Define the meaning of health literacy Identify the various types of literacy Recognize the impact health literacy plays in patient care Identify methods to evaluate a patient’s health information literacy level
Literacy skills are a stronger predictor of health status than: Age Income Employment status Education level Race or Ethnic group Weiss, BD. Health Literacy: A Manual for Clinicians. AMA 2003 p.7.
What is Health Literacy? “The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions.”* * Ratzan, S., and R. Parker. (2000); Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020 Health Literacy = finding, understanding, evaluating, communicating, and using information to make decisions.* Applies to both public and health professionals *Calgary Chapter on Health Literacy It is an emerging public health issue that effects all ages, race and income levels*. *National Patient Safety Foundation
Why is health literacy important in managing chronic illness? o To understand health-related instructions o To follow discharge instructions o To identify signs or symptoms o To keep appointments o To understand insurance coverage o To fill out a patient information forms o To sign consent forms
“Costs” of low health literacy Low health literacy costs the U.S. more than $58 billion annually. 50% of the U.S. adult population (90 million) fall into the low or basic health literacy category.
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL Conducted in 2003 More than 19,000 adults >16yr. One-on-one administration Goal: assess literacy in English
Results of NAAL: Literacy Statistics Functionally illiterate = 23% of adults Marginal literacy skills = 28% of adults Proficient = Only 13% of adults 66% of adults over age 60 have inadequate or marginal literacy skills Average reading level in the U.S. is 8 th grade; 20% read at 5 th grade level or below
National Assessment of Adult Literacy(NAAL) Health Literacy
Graph of % of adults in each literacy Level Comparison of 1992 and 2003
Three Types of Literacy Prose Document Quantitative Requires ability to search, comprehend, and use continuous text Non-continuous text Requires ability to search, comprehend, & use information Requires ability to identify & perform computations, using numbers within printed materials
Prose Literacy Example of a surgical consent form
Document Literacy Non-continuous text Requires ability to search, comprehend, and use information
SMOG S imple M easure O f G obbledygook 1. Count off 10 sentences near the beginning, 10 in the middle and 10 at the end of text. 2. Circle every word containing 3 or more syllables and total the number of words circled 3. Estimate the square root of the total number of words counted 4. Add three to the square root. SMOG grade = 3 + Square Root of Polysyllable Count http://www.readabilityformulas.com/smog-readability- formula.php
REALM R apid E stimate of A dult Literacy in Medicine Asks patients to pronounce 66 words ranging from “fat” to “impetigo” Test provides grade level scores for people who read below a ninth grade level May be better suited for research Realm SF – Form http://www.lsuhscshreveport.edu/HealthLiteracy/HealthLiterac yInfoFAQ.aspx Terry C. Davis, Ph.D.
What is the Newest Vital Sign? Also know as NVS New tool for rapid assessment of health literacy skills First published Dec. 2005 Annals of Family Medicine Quick Assessment of Literacy in Primary Care: The Newest Vital Sign by Barry D. Weiss, MD. Professor of family and community medicine at University of Arizona College of Medicine 3 minute assessment- Ice cream label English & Spanish
Interpretation of Scores Number of correct answers Score : 0-1 suggest likelihood (50% or more ) of limite d literacy Score: 2-3 indicated the possibility of limited literacy Score: 4-6 almost always indicates adequate literacy
Functional Health Literacy “The ability to read and comprehend prescription bottles, appointment slips, and the other essential health related materials required to successfully function as a patient”* *AMA Council of Scientific Affairs
Red Flags Forms incomplete or incorrectly filled out Non-adherence to medication instructions Can’t name medications, purpose, or how to take (color) Frequently missed appointments “I forgot my glasses” Anger My wife, friend etc. usually takes care of ……. AMA Foundation 2007
Task: Appointment Slip Locate information in a simple document. When is your next appointment? Where? CLINIC APPOINTMENT CLINIC: Diabetic DAY: Thursday DATE: April 2 nd HOUR: 6:45 YOU MUST BRING YOUR PLASTIC CARD WITH YOU
Task: Prescription Label Bouvier, Patricia FF9418262 Dr. Hibbert, Julius DOXYCYCLINE 100 MG Take medication on empty stomach one hour before or two to three hours after a meal unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Example of a prescription Label
Medication Safety and Health Literacy Only about 50% of patients take meds as directed What’s “plenty” of water? “Take twice a day “Don’t take medicine if you’ve been in the sun too long.”
Do your patients know what sodium is? Note: We rarely say, “Pass the sodium, please.”
Dosage using a spoon Kitchen spoons Medication dispensing spoons
Reading ability vs. Listening ability She may be able to read but does she understand what she is reading? You may be able to read the written word but do you understand the spoken word?
Medical studies indicate most people suffer a 68% hearing loss when naked.
And, furthermore… Up to 80% of patients forget what a doctor told them as soon as they leave the office! Nearly 50% of what they do remember is remembered incorrectly!
Improving Oral Communication Communication is two-way Use “teach back” instructions Avoid medical jargon Use commonly understood words Limit information Include visual aids- models, pictograms, Videos
Invite questions We usually say – Do you have any questions? Better to say: What questions do you have? Implies you are expecting questions. Or…. Let me answer any questions you may have. Assess understanding If we ask - Do you understand? Easy to say yes. We are implying the patient understands or should understand what we just said to them. Better to use “teach back” technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vo9Q_EfBX8
Summary Assess patients’ needs Focus on 1-3 key “need-to-know” items Use “plain language” Use visual aids Ask ”what questions do you have” Use “teach back” to validate understanding http://healthliteracymn.org/sites/default/files/ima ges/files/Teach-Back%20Program%20Guide.pdf
T OOLS & R ESOURCES Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit Plain Language Teach Back NLM Resources MedlinePlus SeniorHealth DailyMed
http://medlineplus.gov Easy-to-Read materials Medical Dictionary Understanding Medical Words tutorial Interactive tutorials How to write easy-to-read materials: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/etr.html
S ENIOR H EALTH Developed with the National Institute on Aging Senior-friendly features: Text Size Contrast Short segments of information http://nihseniorhealth.gov/
NLM Mobile http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/ MyMedList
P LAIN E NGLISH /P LAIN L ANGUAGE http://www.plainlanguage.gov Promote the use of plain language for all government communications Examples, word suggestions, thesaurus Separate section for health literacy
Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient- safety/quality-resources/tools/literacy-toolkit/ Experts recommend assuming everyone may have difficulty understanding Systems are needed to be in place to promote better understanding not only to those we think may need help Promoting health literacy improves health outcomes Areas that are important to address Improve spoken communication Improve written communication Improve self-management & empowerment Improve supportive systems Tools to address these areas are included in the toolkit
K EY P LAYERS Partnership for Clear Health Communication/AskMe3 Initiative http://www.npsf.org/askme3/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Simply Put http://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/pdf/Simply_Put.pdf U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy “Health Literacy Online: A Guide to Writing and Designing Easy-to-Use Health Web Sites” (U.S. Dept. HHS) http://www.health.gov/healthliteracyonline/index.htm
M ORE K EY P LAYERS Hablamos Juntos – “Universal Symbols in Health Care Workbook” http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=15864 Clear Health Communications (Pfizer) http://www.pfizerhealthliteracy.com/ Health Literacy Consulting http://www.healthliteracy.com Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) http://www.ahrq.gov/browse/hlitix.htm National Center for the Study of Adult Learning & Literacy ( end federal funding 2007 but all resources are online-training, teaching materials etc. http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=1.html
National Network of Libraries of Medicine Middle Atlantic Region About the Middle Atlantic Region (MAR)http://nnlm.gov/mar/ The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) serves as the Regional Medical Library (RML) for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NN/LM, MAR) under a 5-year contract with the National Library of Medicine. The MAR is one of eight regions in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) and includes Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.)