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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sharon E. Barrett, MS¹, Kathie Westpheling, MPH¹, Jennifer Sheen Puryear, MPH¹, and Anita Hawkins, PHD². (1) Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, 1420 Spring Hill Road, Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102, 410 992-1819, semily1@msn.com, (2) School of Public Health and Policy, Morgan State University, 1700 East Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21251

The 2004 IOM report on health literacy documented that 90 million American adults have difficulty understanding and acting upon health information. Although low health literacy is a greater barrier for select populations, e.g., the elderly, minorities, immigrants, both low-literate and well-educated individuals can have difficulty successfully navigating and negotiating the health care system. At the same time, there are few resources for clinicians seeking specific guidance on how to assess the health literacy of their patients in order to improve communication and help them achieve better self-management of a chronic condition. The presentation will briefly discuss the research undertaken by the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU) to identify patient-center care practices for the underserved, with a focus on the challenges presented by low health literacy populations. It will explore the implications of low health literacy, culture and limited English proficiency as clinicians attempt to provide treatment given ongoing institutional impediments in delivering quality care in overextended, financially challenged primary care settings. The presentation will examine how responsibilities for assessing health literacy are perceived by members of the clinical team, the indicators they rely on to assess health literacy levels and determine a patient's likelihood to comply with treatment recommendations. Finally, the presentation will also examine the congruence between clinicians' perceptions of what patients understand, and what patients generally understand during the medical encounter and the implications for compliance and successful self-management.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify patient centered care practices used by clinicians to improve communication with low health literate patients; and 2.identify policy issues which need to be addressed to assist clinicians in providing care to patients challenged by low health literacy and 3.discuss the implications for the development of practice guidelines in this area.

Keywords: Health Literacy, Service Delivery

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No