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Tag Archives: health literacy
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Do You Understand Medicalese?
Health literacy affects everyone. Imagine you are trying to order food in a foreign country and you don’t speak the language. Just like learning a foreign language, understanding health information is a challenge -- one that everyone will face at least once in his or her lifetime. Health literacy, as defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) is “the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand the basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” According to the most recent National Assessment of Adult Literacy report, only 12% of adults in the U.S. are proficient in reading, understanding and acting upon medical information, and even these individuals struggle to understand complex health information at times. This critical gap has significant medical consequences for society. Continue reading
Posted in Current News
Tagged decision aids, health information, health literacy, plain language
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Shared Decision-Making® Program Research
View all results of this resource type.Impact of Health Literacy on Outcomes and Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention in Patients with Chronic Diseases
Eckman MH, Wise R, Leonard AC, et al. Impact of health literacy on outcomes and effectiveness of an educational intervention in patients with chronic diseases. Patient Educ Couns. 2011. [Epub ahead of print].
Read the abstract.
Featured Shared Decision Making Publications
View all results of this resource type.The Potential of Shared Decision Making to Reduce Health Disparities
This article explores evidence that shared decision making can help reduce health disparities by improving patient activation and health outcomes, even for patients with lower health literacy. The authors suggest this is imperative since previous research shows that despite lower knowledge scores, patients with less education and income felt extremely well informed with respect to medication and screening decisions. Continue reading
Posted in Risk Communication
Tagged Benjamin Moulton, health disparities, health literacy, shared decision making
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Patient-focused Interventions: A Review of the Evidence
Patient-focused interventions are those that recognise the role of patients as active participants in the process of securing appropriate, effective, safe and responsive healthcare. There is a growing belief among policy-makers that patients/citizens can contribute to quality improvement at both an individual and a collective level. Continue reading
Informed Medical Decisions Foundation Funded Research
View all results of this resource type.Evaluation of DVD and Internet Decision Aids for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: Focus on Health Literacy
This study will advance the evidence base regarding best methods for facilitating informed decisions among patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) by comparing DVD and Crossroads online formats of decision aids (DAs) for these conditions. Continue reading
Testing Multimedia and Print Health Materials Across Literacy Levels
We propose two complementary investigations to address the effectiveness of optimally designed multimedia and print materials in different contexts. The first addresses knowledge dissemination for preventive services and disease self-management. The second explores best practices for conveying information about risks and benefits of treatment. Continue reading
