title: Literacy, cultural diversity, and client education.
abstract: Client education offers many challenges to health care professionals. There is a mismatch between the reading level of most clients and the reading level of printed materials used in health education. Social and cultural factors also influence how our clients are able to learn about their health. These problems can lead to noncompliance with treatments, missed appointments, wrong dosages of medication, and undue fear among our clients. There are things that health care professionals can do to make written materials more user-friendly and culturally more acceptable.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing, Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Davidhizar
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brownson
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004522:Educational Status; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D012923:Social Class; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014481:United States