Hi

Would be very helpful if you could hunt down one report or the other 
on this. (for me at least)

I wouldn't recommend not letting participants know these sort of 
activities are learning exercises. Deception never works in the end.

Given that 88% of the country (almost 9 out of 10) is below the 
proficient level (NAAL), there is no justification to 'dumb down' the 
process - it is demeaning and the barriers and challenges are 
significant enough without that. Health literacy is everyone's 
problem, not just someone else's.

thanks,

Andrew




>Dear List Surv,

>

>Here is a brief summary of a health/literacy program that was 

>conducted during the 1990s at the Univ. of Colorado Med School.

>

>The purpose was to create awareness of the literacy problems, 

>and teach mediating actions to reduce the problems.  The program was 

>funded by NCI and ran for 2 years.  Laurie Schneider of AMC was 

>involved in facilitating the program.  (Ceci and I had very minor 

>roles as consultants.)

>

>To teach awareness of the problems, the program employed actors and 

>actresses of several ethnic groups to act as "standarized patients". 

>They were given training to act as patients who had limited literacy 

>skills.  (The students were not told in advance that this was role 

>playing.)  The actors interacted with the med students in typical 

>examining room situations. After these interactions, students were 

>advised of ways they could have improved their communications with 

>the pts.

>

>Some findings:

>

>-  The awareness goal was reached, and the students enjoyed the encounters.

>

>-  The actors/actresses did not like their roles.  They felt 

>demeanded to play "dumb" characters.

>

>-  Soon the word got around to the students that these were not real 

>patients, and being bright young people, and they began to "game" 

>the system.

>

>-  I believe that the program died; primarily for lack of funds. 

>(And perhaps for lack of a strong advocate.)

>

>-  A preliminary report was issued at the end of 2 years, but I 

>don't believe there was a final report.

>

>We hope this can add a bit on curriculum.  Is it of any help?

>

>Ceci and Len Doak

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>Check out AOL Money & Finance's list of the 

><http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001>hottest 

>products and 

><http://money.aol.com/top5/general/ways-you-are-wasting-money?NCID=aoltop00030000000002>top 

>money wasters of 2007.

>

>----------------------------------------------------

>National Institute for Literacy

>Health and Literacy mailing list

>HealthLiteracy at nifl.gov

>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/healthliteracy

>Email delivered to pleasant at aesop.rutgers.edu



-- 
-----------------------------------------------
Andrew Pleasant
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Ecology
Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Cook Office Building, 55 Dudley Road #207
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
phone: 732-932-9153 x. 320; fax: 732-932-6667