Health Literacy: Are our patients understanding our message?
Carla Cox, PhD, RD, CDE
I have to admit, I’m addicted to my cell phone. It’s where I connect with my patients, friends and family and a tool to access my work and personal email. Technology is wonderful, however, it can also be overwhelming. E-mail blasts, links to volumes of information that can be placed on the internet in a second and with the expectation that we will read it immediately, what seems to be a million boxes that need to be checked in EMR; this all while seeing as many patients as possible so we are fiscally solvent.
So as I realize how overloaded I can feel at times, I realize how quickly we can also overload and saturate our patients. A new diagnosis of diabetes, insulin instructions, dietary recommendations, websites and organizations that are available online – not to mention all the misinformation folks find on the internet- all provided to the patient to “help them” manage their disease. Volumes of it!
So how can we help our patients feel less dazed? How can we take diabetes recommendations one step at a time to help our patients, and those with low health literacy in particular, take home the most important messages for their health and well-being.
Recently the second edition of the “Tool Kit” for health literacy was made available. It can be a bit intimidating with over 200 pages of “helpful” information for practitioners. But if you pick and choose, and click one icon at a time, there is some wonderful information to help us connect with our patients and delivery our diabetes message in a simple and meaningful way. Nothing in it is rocket science, but it is a good reminder to think not only of our message, but the way in which is it delivered.
A few of the messages:
1.Simplify communication and confirm comprehension – utilize teach back. For example teach a patient to use a glucometer then have the patient demonstrate back. Or construct a diabetes friendly meal and have the patient describe a healthy meal they feel they can make at home.
2.Slow down – this may be my biggest challenge! There is SO MUCH to share with patients, and so little time. But if we quickly run down the list of items we want to communicate, the patient can quickly get overwhelmed and may not take home any message!
3.Limit the content to 3-5 key points and repeat the points. Research suggests only 12% of the population has the health literacy to understand most medical messages. So pick and choose wisely and make the information clear and concise.
4.Draw pictures. There are some beautiful booklets with illustrations galore for all our topics, but consider drawing the concept, talking thorough the drawing with the patient, and then providing them with follow-up handouts on the topic which they can review at home.
We are so fortunate to have such a great profession and a wealth of “how to” information for our patients. But if our message is not communicated in a way that the patient understands, we have lost an important opportunity to make a dramatic difference in their lives.
For more information (try not to overwhelm yourself however!)
http://www.nchealthliteracy.org/toolkit/