[NIFL-HEALTH:3407] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients

From: Kristina Anderson (keander@u.washington.edu)
Date: Tue Oct 23 2001 - 12:10:23 EDT


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From: "Kristina Anderson" <keander@u.washington.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3407] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients
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You wrote: "To think that a health care professional
does not already know the literacy level of his patients is to live in a
fool's paradise."

I disagree. Patients with low literacy skills can hide their reading
difficulties, and a health care professional may suspect some problems with
comprehension, but the likelyhood that they can determine the patient's
literacy level is absurd.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Kristina Anderson
Literacy Coordinator
Harborview Medical Center
Box 359710
325 9th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-731-6621
(FAX) 206-731-2023
----- Original Message -----
From: "lpbml" <lpbml@pacbell.net>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 10:32 PM
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3403] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients


> I agree that an adult learner must feel comfortable to succeed; further
that
> continued progress and learning is built on trust, confidence, and
success.
> Failure causes back-peddling and uncertainty, progress is built on
success.
>
> Whether doctors or health care professionals are making a conscious effort
> to design or come up with a way to test the literacy of their patients is
a
> mute point to me. We would be foolish to think that a health care
> professional is not always assessing his patients demeanor, mental and
> physical capabilities, attitude etc. They pretty much already know the
> commodity they're dealing with; a number or score is a waste of everyone's
> time and could very well be the straw that breaks the camel's back for a
> patient that is scared off by this "so-called new trend."
>
> To substantiate my point, when my son was ill and his doctor could not
> understand on what basis I made certain decisions; she sent me to a
> psychiatrist. These decisions seemed straight-forward and rational to me,
> but, off-the wall to her.  Fortunately, I was educated, articulate, and
able
> to explain how and why I made these decisions that were clearly understood
> and defended by the psychiatrist. To think that a health care professional
> does not already know the literacy level of his patients is to live in a
> fool's paradise.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nifl-health@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-health@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of
> Kristina Anderson
> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 4:02 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3401] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients
>
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0077_01C15B12.29626DE0
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>
> I posted a reply in mime and apparently it didn't wasn't readable to =
> everyone. So I'm  trying again in plain text. See below.
>
> I tutor an adult learner, and I have learned to be very careful about =
> how I work with him. If he feels that he is in any way being tested, he =
> gets extremely uncomfortable and wants to go home. His success is =
> completely dependent on his comfort level with how he is learning. He's =
> also a patient at our hospital, and I have helped him with understanding =
> his medications and instructions from his doctor. If his doctor tried to =
> test his literacy level, I doubt he would come back.
>
> Kristina
> `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
> Kristina Anderson
> Literacy Coordinator
> Harborview Medical Center
> Box 359710
> 325 9th Ave.
> Seattle, WA 98104
> 206-731-6621
> (FAX) 206-731-2023
>   ----- Original Message -----=20
>   From: Dwyoho@aol.com=20
>   To: Multiple recipients of list=20
>   Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 11:59 AM
>   Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3395] Assessing literacy level among patients
>
>
>   In a message dated 10/22/2001 1:47:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, =
> millard@goldfieldaccess.net writes:=20
>
>
>
>     ...there is a trend within the health field that some health care =
> providers=20
>     are looking for ways to test patients for literacy levels.
>
>
>   Thank you Archie for your valuable input.  I would like to see some =
> discussion about this "trend" regarding literacy testing.  Comments, =
> anyone?  =20
>
>   Deborah W. Yoho=20
>   Co-moderator, NIFL Health Literacy Discussion Group=20
>   Chief Executive Officer=20
>   Greater Columbia Literacy Council=20
>   921 Woodrow Street  =20
>   Columbia, SC  29205=20
>   803/765-2555   dwyoho@aol.com=20
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0077_01C15B12.29626DE0
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> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
> <HTML><HEAD>
> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
> charset=3Diso-8859-1">
> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=3DGENERATOR>
> <STYLE></STYLE>
> </HEAD>
> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
> <DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I posted a reply in mime and apparently it didn't =
> wasn't=20
> readable to everyone. So I'm&nbsp; trying again in plain text. See=20
> below.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>I tutor an adult learner, and I have learned to be =
> very=20
> careful about how I work with him. If he feels that he is in any way =
> being=20
> tested, he gets extremely uncomfortable and&nbsp;wants to go =
> home.&nbsp;His=20
> success is completely dependent on his comfort level with how he is =
> learning.=20
> He's also a patient at our hospital, and I have helped him with =
> understanding=20
> his medications and instructions from his doctor. If his doctor tried to =
> test=20
> his literacy level, I doubt he would come back.</FONT></DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
> <DIV><FONT size=3D2>Kristina</FONT></DIV></DIV>
> <DIV>`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````<BR>Kristin=
> a=20
> Anderson<BR>Literacy Coordinator<BR>Harborview Medical Center<BR>Box=20
> 359710<BR>325 9th Ave.<BR>Seattle, WA 98104<BR>206-731-6621<BR>(FAX)=20
> 206-731-2023</DIV>
> <BLOCKQUOTE=20
> style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
> BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
>   <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
>   <DIV=20
>   style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
> black"><B>From:</B>=20
>   <A title=3DDwyoho@aol.com =
> href=3D"mailto:Dwyoho@aol.com">Dwyoho@aol.com</A> </DIV>
>   <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
>   title=3Dnifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov=20
>   href=3D"mailto:nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov">Multiple recipients of =
> list</A>=20
>   </DIV>
>   <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, October 22, 2001 =
> 11:59=20
>   AM</DIV>
>   <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NIFL-HEALTH:3395] =
> Assessing=20
>   literacy level among patients</DIV>
>   <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=3Darial,helvetica><FONT lang=3D0 =
> face=3D"Times New Roman"=20
>   size=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SERIF">In a message dated 10/22/2001 1:47:46 PM =
> Eastern=20
>   Daylight Time, <A=20
>   =
> href=3D"mailto:millard@goldfieldaccess.net">millard@goldfieldaccess.net</=
> A>=20
>   writes: <BR><BR></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 face=3DArial color=3D#000000 =
> size=3D2=20
>   FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF">
>   <BLOCKQUOTE=20
>   style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px =
> solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
>   TYPE=3D"CITE"><BR>...there is a trend within the health field that =
> some health=20
>     care providers <BR>are looking for ways to test patients for =
> literacy=20
>   levels.</BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT lang=3D0 face=3D"Times New Roman" =
>
>   color=3D#000000 size=3D3 FAMILY=3D"SERIF"><BR>Thank you Archie for =
> your valuable=20
>   input. &nbsp;I would like to see some discussion about this "trend" =
> regarding=20
>   literacy testing. &nbsp;Comments, anyone? &nbsp; <BR><BR></FONT><FONT =
> lang=3D0=20
>   face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF">Deborah W. =
> Yoho=20
>   <BR>Co-moderator, NIFL Health Literacy Discussion Group <BR>Chief =
> Executive=20
>   Officer <BR>Greater Columbia Literacy Council <BR>921 Woodrow Street =
> &nbsp;=20
>   <BR>Columbia, SC &nbsp;29205 <BR>803/765-2555=20
>   &nbsp;&nbsp;dwyoho@aol.com</FONT> </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
>
> ------=_NextPart_000_0077_01C15B12.29626DE0--
>
>
>



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