title: Something to talk about: assessing and addressing elders' health literacy.
abstract: Pharmacists need to understand their patients' health literacy and their ability to comprehend and use information about their care and treatments. Too often, practitioners use medical jargon and terms, and patients are too embarrassed or intimidated to admit that they don't understand what they are hearing. Practitioners tend to overestimate patients' comprehension level and ability to understand and follow instructions and accurately interpret information about their illnesses. By accurately assessing patients' level of health literacy, presenting information in a way that they can easily understand, and providing supporting materials, pharmacists and other practitioners help ensure patient compliance and better outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaldy
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003142:Communication; D004522:Educational Status; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010595:Pharmacists; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations