Transcript Finding Easy-to-Read and Multilingual Materials for Your

Jeanne Burke, Education/Reference Librarian
Siobhan Champ-Blackwell, Community
Outreach Librarian
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American Medical Association Health Literacy
Toolkit
Weiss, Barry D. Health literacy and patient
safety: help patients understand: manual for
clinicians, 2nd edition
Participants will be able to:
 Describe the scope of low health literacy in
the populations of patients they serve.
 Evaluate a patient’s health literacy level and
assess the appropriateness of education
materials offered to that patient.
 Incorporate strategies and techniques for
communicating with patients with low health
literacy into practice.
 Adapt communication styles to more
effectively respond to needs of patients with
low health literacy.
“the ability to obtain, process, and
understand basic health information and
services needed to make appropriate
health decisions and follow instructions
for decisions and follow instructions for
treatment”
Committee of Health Literacy, Institute of
Medicine
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The inability to read and understand health
information leads to poor health outcomes
Literacy is one of the strongest predictors of
health status!
This impact translates into higher medical
costs as well
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Medication errors
Longer hospital stays
More use of ER
Higher level of illness in general
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Proficient – 13%
Intermediate – 53%
Basic – 22%
Below Basic – 14%
The Health Literacy of America’s Adults Results from
the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
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Elderly
Low Income
Unemployed
Less than High School education
Minority Ethnic Group
Recent Immigrant
English as a Second Language
You can’t tell by looking, and most patients will
not tell you or family members.
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Patient – Physician Relationship implies that
the physician has a duty to fully disclose in
good faith and general terms the risks and
benefits of treatment.
Informed Consent: Process of educating the
patient so they understand diagnosis and
treatment.
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Behaviors
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Incomplete or inaccurate forms
Frequently missed appointments
Noncompliance
Lack of follow through on tests or referrals
Lab results indicate noncompliance even though
patient thinks s/he is compliant
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Responses to receiving written information
◦ I forgot my glasses – I’ll read this at home
◦ I forgot my glasses – can you read this to me?
◦ Let me bring this home to discuss with my
wife/partner/children
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Responses to questions about medication
regimes
◦ Unable to name medications
◦ Unable to explain what the medication is for
◦ Unable to explain the timing of the medication
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How happy are you with how you read?
Brown bag medication review
◦ How does the patient identify his/her medication?
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Make your practice patient friendly
◦ This includes all the staff
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Slow down.
Use plain nonmedical language
Show or draw pictures
Limit the amount of information provided
Use the “teach-back” method
Create a shame-free environment
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Grand Rounds Page
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Ask Me 3
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MedlinePlus Easy to Read
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Information RX
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UNMC Consumer Health Information Resource
Services (CHIRS)
◦ http://www2.creighton.edu/health/library/events/grandrou
nds/march2009/index.php
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http://www.npsf.org/askme3/
What is my main problem
What do I need to do?
Why is it important for me to do this?
◦ http://medlineplus.gov
◦ English and Spanish
◦ http://www.informationrx.org/
◦ Refer patients to MedlinePlus
◦ http://www.unmc.edu/library/consumer/
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Contact your Reference library!
◦ Creighton: 280-5138
◦ UNMC: 559-6221
◦ Childrens: 955-3834