Low health literacy: the impact on chronic illness management.
OBJECTIVE
Chronic disease affects 90 million American adults and disproportionately affects the elderly. Health literacy, or the ability to understand and apply information to care for oneself, is a challenge for the approximately 1 in 2 American adults who cannot read above a fifth-grade level. This article defines the problem of health literacy and provides useful information for case managers to better understand the scope of the problem and strategies for working with patients to ensure good communication.


METHODS
All settings.


CONCLUSIONS
Raising awareness of the scope of low literacy among patients is critical for any practice. Implementing basic practices to ensure effective communication will increase the likelihood of patient compliance and successful outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Keep key messages to patients to a minimum. Use the teach-back method with patients to ensure that they understand their care regimen and warning signs. Never ask, " Do you understand?" Ask patients to explain processes. Have your written patient education materials reviewed by a literacy expert to determine grade reading level. Materials should not be above a fifth-grade level, and should be culturally appropriate.
mvillaire@iha4health.org
Michael
M
Villaire
Gloria
G
Mayer
D019090:Case Management / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003144:Communication Barriers; D032882:Comprehension; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D004522:Educational Status; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology; D013664:Teaching Materials