Health and Literacy in Primary Care( A Clinician's Guide)   [HEALTH & LITERACY IN PRIMARY C] [Paperback]

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

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.

Designated a Doody's Core Title!

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.

Designated a Doody's Core Title! 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. "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 literacy skills is present." "This book is packed with examples and tips that will serve as a needed guide for primary 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."--Jacket Presents major issues in health literacy from the standpoint of the patient, and the challenges that the problem places on health care providers. This book looks at some specific methodologies that have been demonstratively effective in communicating with low-literate patients. It describes alternatives to written forms of patient communication