Treatment Planning Communication with patients Flashcards
Health Literacy #1
- 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 #2
Health literacy is dependent on individual and systemic factors:
(5)
- 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 #3
Health literacy affects people’s ability to:
(4)
- 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.
Plain Language
* Plain language is a strategy for
making written and oral information
easier to understand. It is one important tool for improving health
literacy
Plain language is communication that
users can understand the first
time they read or hear it. With reasonable time and effort, a plain
language document is one in which people can find what they need,
understand what they find, and act appropriately on that
understanding
Plain Language continued
Key elements of plain language include:
(4)
- 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.
Speaking plainly is just as important as writing plainly. Many plain language
techniques apply to
verbal messages, such as avoiding jargon and explaining
technical or medical terms. For example, many people refer to a crown as a
“cap” or a complete denture as “plates”.
Culture affects how people
communicate, understand, and respond
to health information
(2) competency of health professionals can
contribute to health literacy
Cultural and linguistic
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
Competency includes communicating in a manner that is
linguistically and culturally appropriate.
Cultural and Linguistic Competency #2
* Healthcare professionals have their own culture and language.
Many adopt the “culture of medicine” and the language of their
specialty as a result of their training and work environment. This
can affect how
health professionals communicate with the
public.
For many individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP), the
— is the primary barrier to accessing health information and services
inability to communicate in English
Health information for people with LEP needs to be
communicated…
plainly in their primary language, using words
and examples that make the information understandable
Populations most likely to experience low health literacy are:
(6)
- older adults;
- racial and ethnic minorities;
- 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
