Great article and interesting issue; thanks for calling our attention to
it David. The tool they are using to measure literacy levels here is
called the Newest Vital Signs and it was developed by Pfizer. It is
indeed a popular tool and has proven to be very effective for certain
purposes. For the adult literacy community it poses particular
challenges - the base level of the exam supposes a level of prior
knowledge that many of our adult literacy students do not possess -
rendering the tool ineffective. Many will not be able to answer the
first and easiest question. It is also focused on numeracy and really
does not give you any insight into a patient's ability to comprehend or
follow a health provider's recommendations. I am not sure it will really
matter to a health practitioner if a patient reads at the 5th or 9th
grade level. Would it really change the way they offer instructions? At
the Literacy Assistance Center's health initiative we work with health
providers at all levels to understand that all patients are "health
illiterate" upon hearing a new diagnosis. Health literacy is not simply
an issue of poverty, race or education levels. Patient safety would be
greatly improved for ALL health consumers if information was presented
in a clear and straightforward manor - after which patients can learn
more at their own pace, using their optimum learning style and in a way
that they can then use the information to make good health decisions. 

 

Elyse Barbell 

Executive Director

Literacy Assistance Center

http://www.lacnyc.org/profdev/healthlit/

212.803.3302

________________________________

From: healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:healthliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2008 8:43 AM
To: The Health and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [HealthLiteracy 2034] AMA Medical News Article on Health
Literacy

 

Health Literacy Colleagues

 

I would like to call your attention an article, dated June 2, 2008
(interesting dateline) in the American Medical news of the 

AMA . It poses this question:

 

Should physicians adjust the communication level for each patient, or
are comprehension difficulties so common that simpler language should be
used with everyone?

 

Doctors are being urged by some researchers to administer  a short (on
average, just under 3 minutes)  literacy test to their patients to
increase the doctors' health literacy awareness. Others argue that while
appropriate for research,  this does not make sense for clinical
practice. They argue for plain language for all patients. 

 

How many patients are proficient in managing their own medical care? One
recent study found that 

 

only 12% of adults have the skills to proficiently manage their own
medical care.

 

The article mentions that the AMA Foundation will release a report in
July  on assessing the country's health literacy.

 

You'll find the article at:

 

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/06/02/hlsd0602.htm

 

 

David J. Rosen

djrosen at comcast.net

 





 

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