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 fA1KAP020824; Thu, 1 Nov 2001 15:10:25 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 15:10:25 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <15.1d11573e.2913054c@aol.com> 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: Dwyoho@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3444] Facilitating health communication X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 6.0 for Windows US sub 10536 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_15.1d11573e.2913054c_boundary" Status: O Content-Length: 7587 Lines: 95 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 10/31/2001 12:31:38 AM Eastern Standard Time, levesqjr@webster.edu writes: > Time is another factor to consider which also supports the need for a > facilitator. At the major medical center, everyone I encountered was in > a rush. After my initial diagnosis, I left my surgeon in a state of > shock, not really sure about his message. I'd waited over an hour and a > half for "my turn" and was on the street 15 minutes after he walked in > Many years ago, I worked as a "director of information and education" in a Planned Parenthood center. After some training in family planning and human sexuality, my job was to work with the patients appointed to the clinic while they waited for the doctor. Most had at least an hour and a half wait, sometimes longer, because the physicians came from the hospital to do the clinic and were often delayed in getting there. In effect, the waiting room was the education room. I simply greeted the group when most had arrived, (others came in late or later) and began a discussion/lecture about family planning options. (Meanwhile the RN met with each person individually for the miedical history, "pulling" them out of the group one by one.) I didn't know at the time that what I was doing would today be called "health literacy". As a trained educator, it was simply natural for me to use a wide variety of communication methods. I assumed most of the patients were poorly educated as this was a Title 10 clinic serving a specific socio-economic group. I made no judgments one way or another as to their "ability" to understand. But in this era of feminism, the entire atmosphere of everything that happened there was careful respect for each individual woman, and careful reservation to the patient of all decision-making. Even today, the use of birth control simply will not be successful unless the woman understands all the pluses and minuses, is happy with her own choice, and especially in the case of the Pill, understands a complicated regime of pill taking. In another setting, I later counseled women as they waited for an abortion procedure, making sure each one was fully informed and fully in charge of whether or not to go forward. I stressed all options available, including tubal ligation and the rhythm method, and strived to present each option neutrally. In retrospect, I know full well that 90% came to the clinic wanting the Pill and left with the same. Some ignored the discussion, but the vast majority paid rapt attention, and asked many questions. Even though they had already made their decision as to the desire to contracept and the method of doing so long before they met me, most left understanding their own bodies much better. We even taught them breast self-exam. Of course, how much information they left with depended on how late the doctor was. " What I've described is routine in Planned Parenthood clinics and in many other places. Is there anything from this experience that could be transferred to other settings, and applied to other health needs? Deborah W. Yoho Co-moderator, NIFL Health Literacy Discussion Group Chief Executive Officer Greater Columbia Literacy Council 921 Woodrow Street Columbia, SC 29205 803/765-2555 dwyoho@aol.com
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