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Health Literacy and Buffalo Reads Literacy Plan

Health Literacy and Buffalo Reads Literacy Plan. What is Health Literacy?. The term “health literacy” refers to a patient’s ability to understand common health care communications, such as prescription instructions, test results and insurance forms

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Health Literacy and Buffalo Reads Literacy Plan

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  1. Health Literacyand Buffalo ReadsLiteracy Plan

  2. What is Health Literacy? • The term “health literacy” refers to a patient’s ability to understand common health care communications, such as prescription instructions, test results and insurance forms • Those with limited literacy have difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle and are at risk of increased health problems

  3. Why is it so Critically Important? • According to the Institute of Medicine Report on Health Literacy, 90 million people have difficulty understanding and using health information • Studies also show that people from all ages, races, and income and education levels are challenged by this problem

  4. What is the Cost to the Community? • Individuals with low health literacy incur medical expenses that are up to four times greater than patients with adequate literacy skills, costing the health care system as much as 75 billion dollars every year for unnecessary doctor visits and hospital stays

  5. What Must Be Done? A concerted effort is needed by: • the public health and health care systems • the education system • the media • health care consumers If patients cannot comprehend needed health information, attempts to improve the quality of care and reduce health care costs and disparities may fail.

  6. Can We Pinpoint The Problem? • Limited health literacy is not a problem that starts and ends with patients • Health systems are becoming increasingly complex, involving new technologies, scientific jargon, and complicated medical procedures and forms • All of these aspects of the health system can be confusing to patients

  7. Are there populations with special needs? • Culture and ethnicity may influence patients' perceptions of health, illness, and the risks and benefits of treatments. • Differing cultural and educational backgrounds between a patient and provider also contribute to problems in the patient's comprehension.

  8. What work is being done? • Current areas of research examining the links between health and literacy include: • Navigation: access to and barriers within the health care system • Managing a Chronic Disease: patients’ stories, barriers and facilitating factors • Dialogue between patients and providers: language used in doctor-patient communication

  9. What work is being done? • Media comprehension: presentation of risk and comprehension of television and print advertisements • Materials: the design and evaluation of health-related forms, printed health materials, and web sites • Culture: communication across language and/or cultural divides

  10. What work is being done? • Best practices: public health literacy efforts • Curricula: health-related adult education curricula and adult basic skills • Clinical trial: the relationship between plain language efforts and management of a chronic disease 

  11. What do patients say? • “I bought cough medicine at the drugstore and couldn’t read the label on it. I overdosed and fainted. I didn’t know it would make me sick. I thought it was safe.” • “I just have to trust the doctor; I put a huge amount of trust in the medical staff. I just sign forms without really understanding them.”

  12. Why are patients at risk? • Reliance on the written word for patient instruction • Increasingly complex health system • More medications • More tests and procedures • Growing self-care requirements

  13. What can health providers do? • Understand the problem • Identify the barriers faced by both patients and clinicians • Identify and implement strategies to enhance health literacy • Advocate for system change

  14. Five steps to enhance interactions with patients • Conduct patient-centered interactions • Explain things clearly in plain language • Focus on key messages and repeat • Use a “teach back” or “show me” technique to check for understanding • Use patient-friendly educational materials to enhance interaction

  15. What Is Happening In Other Communities • El Paso – training of literacy instructors • Houston – reviewing patient education materials • Lancaster, SC – community store front health literacy center • Literacy Assistance Center in New York – community roundtables

  16. Developing a local Health Literacy Initiative • Health Literacy Task Force created to explore the need in the community • Members of task force recruited • Role of task force members defined • Regional Health Literacy Plan to be drafted

  17. Initiative Focus areas • Children's Services - To assist in developing children's literacy and pre-reading skills in partnership with health care providers. • Patient Services - To assist patients in better understanding both verbal and written communications from their health care providers • Community Healthcare Services - To assist adult learners by providing healthcare information as part of the curriculum of literacy programs.

  18. Development of plan For each area there is a need to answer the following questions: • Which partners have an interest in this area? • What services are currently provided? • How effective are current services? • What are the gaps in services? • What tools are needed? • Who will do what?

  19. Next Steps • Survey • Timeline • Activities • Potential Outcomes • Health literacy goal inclusion in regional plan

  20. Resources - Health Literacy Studies Web Site - NCSALL Health Literacy Project - NIFL LINKS Website - El Paso Health Literacy Project - Pfizer Health Literacy Project • American Medical Association • AMC Cancer Research Center • California Literacy Health Project

  21. Health Literacy Reports • Literacy and Health Facts, National Institute for Literacy • Health Literacy bibliography 2000-2001, National Library of Medicine • Literacy and Health Outcomes, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality • National Diabetes Education Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, Institute of Medicine • Health Literacy: Helping Your Patients Understand, American Medical Association Foundation • Health Literacy Month, Health Literacy Consulting • The State Official's Guide to Health Literacy, Council of State Governments

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