• Patient Teaching into Practice
    • Patient Education
      • The nurse’s role in patient education
      • Patient / family education standards
      • The growing need for patient teaching
      • Interdisciplinary collaboration, patient education
      • Patient Education – What does the future hold?
    • Theoretical Basis of Patient Education
      • The Theoretical Basis of Patient Education – Introduction
      • The Health Belief Model
      • Patient Education: Self-efficacy
      • Related theories of Patient Education
      • Characteristics of adult learners
      • Behavioral, cognitive, humanist approaches
      • Patient Education: Learning readiness
    • The Process of Patient Education
      • Process of Patient Education: Introduction
      • Assessing learning needs
      • Developing learning objectives
      • Planning and implementing teaching
      • Evaluating teaching and learning
      • Developing an effective teaching style
      • Using adult learning principles
    • The Family and Patient Education
      • Family structure and style
      • Impact of illness on the family
      • Doing a family assessment
      • Strategies for teaching family members
      • Expanding needs of family caregivers
      • Developing a partnership with the family
    • Providing Age-Appropriate Patient Education
      • Providing Age-Appropriate Patient Education: Introduction
      • Teaching parents of infants
      • Teaching toddlers
      • Teaching pre-school children
      • Teaching school age children
      • Teaching adolescents
      • Teaching young adults
      • Teaching adults in midlife
      • Teaching older adults
    • Impact of Culture on Patient Education
      • Impact of Culture on Patient Education: Introduction
      • How culture influences health beliefs
      • Doing a cultural assessment
      • Cultural negotiation
      • Using interpreters in health care
      • Non-English speaking patients
      • A model of care for cultural competence
    • Adherence in Patient Education
      • Adherence in Patient Education: Introduction
      • Impact on treatment recommendations
      • Causes of non-adherence
      • The patient as a passive recipient of care
      • Effect of interpersonal skills on adherence
      • Interventions that can increase adherence
    • Helping Patients Who Have Low Literacy Skills
      • Helping Patients Who Have Low Literacy Skills: Introduction
      • Designing low literacy materials
    • Resources for Patient Education
      • Resources for Patient Education: Introduction
      • Selected Patient Education Resources

EuroMed Info

Gesundheit und Vorsorge im Überblick

Helping Patients Who Have Low Literacy Skills: Introduction

Did you know that half of the patients and families you teach every day won’t be able to understand many of your written teaching materials? The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and the American Hospital Association’s Patients‘ Bill of Rights require that patients have current information about their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms that patients and families can understand. JCAHO Patient and Family Education Standards specify that health care professionals consider their patient’s literacy, educational level, and language in providing health care instruction. Health organizations are now scored on how well their patients understand the safe and effective use of medications and medical equipment, potential food-drug interactions, and when and how to obtain further treatment. Patients are also being discharged home sicker and quicker than in the past, and patients and families are expected to assume more responsibility for health care. Therefore, they must be able to read and understand the health care information we provide them.

However, literacy experts tell us that many of our written patient teaching materials don’t match our patients reading abilities. Patients struggle to understand discharge instructions, consent forms, handouts, and labels on prescription and over-the-counter medications. Many cannot understand important health-related letters or medical forms. Failure to understand directions may lead to missed appointments, noncompliance, and in some cases, disability and death.

Designing low literacy materials

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Euromed Info – Bereiche

  • Gesundheit
  • Gesundheitsschutz
  • Schönheit
  • Zähne

Patient Teaching

  • Patient Education
  • Theoretical Basis of Patient Education
  • The Process of Patient Education
  • The Family and Patient Education
  • Providing Age-Appropriate Patient Education
  • Impact of Culture on Patient Education
  • Adherence in Patient Education
  • Helping Patients Who Have Low Literacy Skills
  • Resources for Patient Education

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Recommendable link

Journal of Public Health: The Need of Patient Education