Communicating Effectively with Patients Flashcards
What is health literacy?
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
Health literacy is dependent on individual and systemic factors such as…
- Communication skills of lay persons and professionals;
- Knowledge of health topics;
- Culture;
- Demands of the healthcare and public health systems;
- Demands of the situation.
Health literacy affects people’s ability to:
- Navigate the healthcare system, including filling out complex forms and locating providers and services;
- Share personal information, such as health history, with providers;
- Engage in self-care and chronic-disease management;
- Understand mathematical concepts such as probability and risk.
___________ is a strategy for making written and oral information easier to understand. It is one important tool for improving health literacy.
Plain language
Key elements of plain language include:
- Organizing information so that the most important points come first
- Breaking complex information into understandable chunks
- Using simple language and defining technical terms
- Using the active voice.
_______ affects how people communicate, understand, and respond to health information
Culture
What is cultural competence?
Cultural competence is the ability of health organizations and practitioners to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of diverse populations, and to apply that knowledge to produce a positive health outcome
For many individuals with ___________________________, the inability to communicate in English is the primary barrier to accessing health informationand services
limited English proficiency (LEP)
Populations most likely to experience low health literacy are…
- older adults
- people with less than a high school degree or GED certificate
- people with low income levels
- non-native speakers of English
- people with compromised health status
Who is responsible for improving health literacy?
public health professionals and the healthcare and public health systems
What are some tips for presenting treatment plans to patients
- Sit facing the patient at eye level. Never have the patient in a reclining position
- Use language the patient can understand, for example bone loss around the tooth as opposed to a three walled bony pocket
- Avoid using threatening or anxiety-producing terms
- Talk to the patient, don’t preach
- Be mindful of your body language
- Don’t overwhelm the patient with minute details unless the patient specifically asks
- Ask the patient to repeat back to you the information to confirm understanding of the treatment plan
- Use models, wax-ups, photos, radiographs, etc. to emphasize key points
What is informed consent?
Informed consent is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy: Youas the patient have the right to make decisions about your own health and medical conditions.
Informed consent is a ________ for getting permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person.
process
What are the elements of informed consent?
- Communication between doctor and patient
- Full understanding of treatment to be provided
- Expected risks and benefits
- Alternatives
- Opportunity to ask questions
- Discuss the patient’s choice
- Time to reflect
- Provide clear indication of patient’s decision
What is the history/court case for informed consent?
- First case that established Informed Consent in U.S. Legal History/precedent
- Schloendorff v. Society of New York Hospital 1914
