Health Literacy Presentation PDF - Spring 2024

Promoting Health Literacy as a Health Professional Mark Kuhnert, PhD Spring 2024 1  Learning Objectives Understand the concept of Health Literacy and what it encompasses What impact Health Literacy has on health outcome, cos...

Promoting Health Literacy as a Health Professional Mark Kuhnert, PhD Spring 2024 1  Learning Objectives Understand the concept of Health Literacy and what it encompasses What impact Health Literacy has on health outcome, cost, and quality of care Review provider communication strategies 2  iClicker: In no more than one sentence, define Health Literacy. 3 Health Literacy 4 The Health Literacy Gap 5 Medication Instructions 6  Medication Errors In a study of 395 primary care patients in 3 states Asked “How would you take this medicine?” 46% did not understand the instructions on more than one label 38% with adequate literacy missed at least one label Davis, et. al. 2006 7 8  Reading vs. Comprehension In a study of adults with literacy below the 6th grade level: – 71% correctly read the instructions “take two tablets by mouth daily” – Only 35% could demonstrate the number of pills to actually take Davis et. al. 2006 9 Dosing Instrutions Lots of ways to get it wrong Abbreviations Uncommon measurements (ml, grams, CC) Unfamiliar terms Inconsistent markings 10 I Assumed You Knew What I Meant A study of physician and patient communications: Most physicians (77%) believed patients knew their diagnosis; however, 57% of patients did Nearly all physicians (98%) stated that they at least sometimes discussed their patients' fears and anxieties, compared with 54% of patients who said their physicians never did this Olson & Windish, 2010 11  Health Literacy Health Literacy is the ability to obtain, read, understand and use health information and services (CDC, 2023) So tell me what does that mean with examples? 12  Health Literacy A wide range of skills is needed to help people understand and use information to lead a health life – Understand appointment notices – Following instructions on medication labels – Get information about illness – Participate in discussion of informed consent – Making appropriate medical decisions 13  Health Literacy in the Public Voting on smoking ordinances Vaccinations Emergency preparedness Wearing a helmet Causes of diabetes OSHA workplace regulations 14 Proficient: Define medical terms, Calculate share of employee’s health insurance costs Intermediate: Determine healthy weight from BMI chart, interpret prescription and OTC drug labels Basic: Understand simple patient education handout Below Basic: Circle date on appointment slip, understand simple pamphlet about pre- test instructions National Association of Health Literacy, 2006 15  Health Literacy in the US 90 million Americans have difficulty understanding and using health information – Over 40 million additional Americans cannot read complex text IOM 2008 Approximately 1.6 million Missourians have basic or below basic health literacy MU Center of Health Policy 16  Impact of Poor Health Literacy Less likely to comply with treatment and medication plans Less use of preventative services – (immunizations, physicals, screenings) Risks of hospitalizations and longer stays Not managing chronic conditions properly Increased costs and poor health outcomes Increased mortality 17  Patient Recall of Health Information Patients/Parents forget 40%-50% of what their practitioner tells them as soon as they leave the office and nearly 50% of what they do remember is recalled incorrectly The more information a patient is given, the less they can recal Kessels, 2003 18  Costs of Low Health Literacy People with low health literacy have over four times higher annual health care costs $13,000 average annual costs for low health literacy VS. $3000 for those with higher health literacy AMA Foundation 19  Economic Costs of Poor Health Literacy 3.3 to 7 million dollars a year in Missouri 238 billion dollars a year in the US Human costs – Increased pain and suffering – Mental health – Lost work and leisure time Vernon, et. al. 2007 20 Who Pays the Costs? Georgetown University Health Policy Institute 21 Health Literacy Affects Health Outcomes 22  iClicker: How do you think low Health Literacy Affects Health Outcomes? 23  Health Literacy Affects Health Outcomes Quality is affected by – Later diagnosis of diseases and ailments – Poor medication and treatment adherence – Less preventative care utilization – Increased need for chronic care measures – Greater costs for person and system How does this affect quality of life? How will this affect your practice? 24  Universal Precautions A communication strategy that assumes all healthcare encounters are at risk for communication errors and aims to minimize risk for all 25  Why Health Literacy Now? Most patient instructions are; – Complex – Delivered rapidly – Easy to forget under stress Healthcare is increasingly complex – More medications, tests, procedures – More self-care requirements – More individual input into decisions 26  Why Health Literacy Now? Understand how patients’ background affects their decision making Aspects affecting Health Literacy – Culture – Religion – Health disparities – Compliance rates – Education level 27  Universal Precautions Strive to make visits consumer-centered Explain thing clearly in plain language Focus on key message and repeat 28  Universal Precautions Use the “teach back” or “show me” method for understanding Use consumer-friendly educational material to enhance interactions Use medical interpretation services 29 Explanations in Common Language Most patients don’t understand anatomy! We use words differently in healthcare If possible, use patient’s own words Use common language Use analogies that are relatable to the patient 30 How Would You Explain the Termonology? 31  Visuals Can Help With Understandng Consumer-friendly pictures or demonstrations are often helpful to low literacy patients Health drawings provided to MDs by companies are often complicated Draw it yourself? 32  Talking With Families Always: – Use plain language – Slow down – Break it down to shorter statements – Focus on 2-3 most important concepts – Check for understanding 33  Summing Up Health Literacy is important Lack of Health Literacy is costly to the patient and beyond It’s important to learn these skill for your professional and personal life 34