New Health Literacy Report

According to a new Commonwealth Fund report, there are a number of practical steps that health care providers can take to combat the problem of health literacy. Patients with low health literacy are at greater risk of misunderstanding treatment recommendations, taking prescription medications improperly, and experiencing lower health status and poorer health outcomes.

But according to this report, there are a number of practical steps that health care providers can take to combat the problem:

    • Making all members of the care team, from reception area to checkout, responsible for identifying patients who are challenged by health literacy issues

    • Using standardized communication tools, including Teach Back, Ask Me 3, or Motivational Interviewing

    • Using plain language, face-to-face communication, pictorials, and patient education materials that are culturally appropriate and written at a suitable literacy level

    • Partnering with patients to achieve goals and ensure that patients understand and can manage their treatment plans

    • Creating a care management environment where health literacy is not assumed.

In Health Literacy Practice in Primary Care Settings: Examples from the Field, Sharon E. Barrett, M.S., Jennifer Sheen Puryear, M.P.H., and Kathie Westpheling, M.P.H., identify practices used by health care providers across the U.S. to improve care for patients with low health literacy. As the report shows, by joining forces with their patients, providers can overcome health literacy barriers and help ensure the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care.
Raising Readers | P.O. Box 17826 | Portland, Maine 04112 | Phone: 1-800-397-3263
Libra Foundation