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From: "Nancy Arnold" <ARNOLN@mmc.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3408] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients
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I recently came back to work from vacation and, overwhelmed by the number of emails, deleted those from list serves. I regret this, since the NIFL discussion concerned health care providers assessing adult literacy. This is an extremely interesting and important issue.
The program I manage, Raising Readers, is a health and literacy program for all Maine children between birth and age 5. We provide specially selected books for primary care providers to give each child, regardless of means, at all well child visits. We also provide training for these providers about talking with parents about reading aloud with their children and about the problem of low literacy as a health issue. The literacy skills of parents is an important component of this program since advising parents who are unable to read that they should read to their children every day is not necessarily a positive or successful message.
We are surveying primary health care providers concerning their assessment of adult literacy and their knowledge of what to do if they feel an adult needs help with literacy skills. Prelimiinary results indicate that very few providers assess adult literacy or are comfortable with community resources availble for patients who want or need help with reading. A focus group of physicians discussed this issue and felt that it would be inappropriate to ask providers to routinely assess adult literacy skills. They felt that the issue was too sensitive, complicated and time consuming for the limited time available during a visit. They were concerned that unskillfully assessing patients' literacy skills might backfire, jeorpardizing their patients' trust and willingness to return for health care.
We are working on a method to regularly give every parent information about the statewide literacy telephone hotline, and will pilot test this during the next few months.
Nancy Arnold, M.P.H.
Raising Readers
arnoln@mmc.org
>>> lpbml@pacbell.net 10/23/01 01:31AM >>>
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.
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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
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</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 trying again in plain text. See=20
below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </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 wants to go =
home. 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> </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. I would like to see some discussion about this "trend" =
regarding=20
literacy testing. Comments, anyone? <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 =
=20
<BR>Columbia, SC 29205 <BR>803/765-2555=20
dwyoho@aol.com</FONT> </FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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