Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f9S56g011519; Sun, 28 Oct 2001 01:06:42 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 01:06:42 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <MABBKFDHLFFKFFADLABNKENNCDAA.lpbml@pacbell.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: lpbml <lpbml@pacbell.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3434] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Status: O Content-Length: 10412 Lines: 254 I respectfully disagree, a physician may not be able to attach a standard value or number to the degree of literacy of his patient; but, he most certainly has a relative range of what the patient is able to read and understand. When tested protocols are known and published they establish guidelines which when followed produce specified results within specificied ranges with very few exceptions and rarer complications. When a patient is given medication that does not produce the expected results with continued follow-ups; the physcian has two options to consider: the patient is a very rare exception or the patient is not using the medicine properly. This leads directly to the issue of literacy; does the patient not understand what is written on the label, did he not comprehend the physcian's instructions for use? No matter how well the patient has learned to hide his inability, speech gives an indication of literacy profiency, as well as actions (trying to be evasive, obscure, silent), taken with the failure of the medication to work leads to the patients inability to use the prescribed medication correctly. In most cases this indicates to the physician that the patient has a literacy or comprehension problem. I think the point that is being missed here, is that physcians regardless of their specialty, whether it be nephrology, cardiology, neurology etc., are taught to treat the whole patient not just their specific area. Otherwise, they would ignore medication prescribed by a physician treating a different ailment for the same patient. To suggest that a physcian does not have the expertise or knowledge to realiably establish the literacy or lack there of, of his patients is like suggesting that a physcian cannot tell the difference between chicken pox and small pox. -----Original Message----- From: nifl-health@nifl.gov [mailto:nifl-health@nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Kristina Anderson Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2001 9:10 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3407] Re: Assessing literacy level among patients 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 > Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > 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 > Content-Type: text/html; > charset="iso-8859-1" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > > <!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 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> > > ------=_NextPart_000_0077_01C15B12.29626DE0-- > > >
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