At the intersection of health care delivery and practice there lies a large area of patient care with no manual: how to provide the best care to patients who have a critically low level of comprehension and literacy. Because all patients play a central role in the outcome of their own health care, competent health care becomes almost impossible for caregivers when the boundary of low literary skills is present. In a concise and well-written format you will learn: Common myths about low literacy Examples of low health care literacy How to recognize patients with low literacy Strategies to help patients with low literacy and reduce medical errors Cultural issues in health literacy Ways to create a patient-friendly office environment How to improve patient communication Guidelines to target and overcome common problems practitioners encounter This clear, well written book is packed with examples and tips and will serve as a much needed guide for primary care providers, nurse practitioners, hospital administrators, and others who are looking for ways to improve their communication with patients and provide the most beneficial health care to their low-literacy patients.
Author(s): Gloria G. Mayer, Michael Villaire
Edition: 1
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 312
Cover
......Page 1
TOC Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Foreword......Page 13
CH 1 Understanding Health Literacy......Page 15
Health Literacy Defined......Page 16
Literacy Surveys in the United States: Introducing
the “Average” American......Page 18
All Around Us......Page 22
Seeing the System Through the Patient’s Eyes......Page 25
Texts and Contexts: Broadening Our Perspective......Page 27
Dispelling Myths About Low Health Literacy......Page 28
Why Health Literacy Matters: Increasing Patient Safety......Page 35
Spreading the Word, Closing the Gap......Page 36
Health Literacy: Don’t Leave Home Without It......Page 37
CH 2 Creating a Patient-Friendly Environment......Page 43
Adult Teaching and Learning......Page 45
Reasons for Low Health Literacy......Page 47
Health Literacy in the Office Setting......Page 52
The Hospital Environment......Page 59
CH 3 Assessing Patients’ Literacy Levels......Page 65
Why Test for Literacy Levels?......Page 66
Disclosure: The Patient’s Perspective......Page 68
Instruments for Assessing Literacy......Page 72
Endnote: An Essential Balancing Act......Page 79
CH 4 Understanding and Avoiding Medical Errors......Page 81
Listening and Understanding......Page 82
Medical Errors Defined......Page 83
Medication Errors......Page 84
Wrong-Site Surgeries and Other Disasters......Page 86
Challenges to Plain Language and Effective Communication......Page 87
Solutions for Reducing Error and Increasing Clarity......Page 94
Endnote: Vigilance and Clear Communication......Page 101
CH 5 Factoring Culture Into the Care Process......Page 107
Changing Demographics......Page 108
What Is Culture?......Page 109
Culture and Patient-Provider Interactions......Page 110
Challenges of the Multicultural Environment......Page 111
Common Cultural Elements That Affect Health Care......Page 115
Body Language/Nonverbal Cues......Page 127
Providers as Receivers of Nonverbal Communication......Page 128
Toward a Culturally Competent Practice......Page 129
Culture and Patient Care: From Beliefs to Brochures......Page 137
CH 6 Improving Patient–Provider Communication......Page 143
What Is Effective Communication?......Page 144
Talking to Patients, Listening to Patients......Page 145
Challenges to Effective Oral Communication......Page 147
Other Factors to Consider......Page 149
Oral Communication and Low Literacy......Page 151
Models of Effective Oral Communication......Page 153
Elements of Effective Oral Communication......Page 155
Alternatives to Face-to-Face Oral Communication......Page 158
Telephone Triage......Page 164
Optimizing Patient–Provider Communication......Page 167
Dealing With Other Communication Problems......Page 168
Communicating for Integrated Care......Page 170
CH 7 Designing Easy-to-Read Patient Education Materials......Page 177
Before You Begin Designing Patient Education Materials......Page 179
Appearance of Materials......Page 181
A Parting Thought: Know Your Audience......Page 194
CH 8 Principles of Writing for Low Literacy......Page 197
Planning Your Writing......Page 198
Writing Health-Related Patient Materials......Page 202
Testing and Revising Materials......Page 212
Conducting Focus Groups......Page 216
Other Approaches That Involve the End User......Page 217
Writing in Another Language......Page 219
Verbal Communication......Page 225
Visual Communication......Page 228
Incorporating Both Speech and Visuals......Page 233
Guidelines for Developing Alternative Materials......Page 237
Barriers to Media Usage......Page 241
Evaluating Patient Learning and Outcomes......Page 243
CH 10 Interpreters and Their Role in the Health Care Setting......Page 249
Health Care in Multicultural America......Page 250
Low Health Literacy and the Need for Interpreters......Page 252
Difference Between Interpreting and Translating......Page 253
Interpreting in Clinical Contexts......Page 254
Roles Interpreters Play: Some Conceptual Models......Page 256
Choosing the Right Kind of Interpreter......Page 261
Interpreting and Technology......Page 262
Skills Needed by Interpreters......Page 265
Standardized Interpreting Protocols: Maximizing Good
Communication......Page 266
Working With Certified and Noncertified Interpreters......Page 271
Errors in Clinical Interpreting......Page 276
Cultural Issues in Clinical Interpreting......Page 278
Working With Interpreters: How Providers Can Help......Page 280
How to Find Interpreters......Page 281
HIPAA and the Patient’s Privacy......Page 284
Improving Patient Access......Page 285
Afterword......Page 293
Index......Page 295
