Long-term Effects of a Health Literacy Curriculum for Family Medicine Residents

Coleman, Cliff; Peterson-Perry, Sylvia; Sachdeva, Bhavaya; Kobus, Amy; Garvin, Roger

doi:10.22454/primer.2017.703541

Cited by 30 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In conclusion, this study provides a baseline assessment of diabetes educator communication practice. Our findings suggest that health literacy and communication in health professional school curricula positively affects diabetes educators' communication practices, supporting efforts to develop standards for health literacy curricula and competencies (Coleman, Peterson-Perry, & Bumsted, 2016). In this study, Hispanic educators reported using more communication techniques than their Caucasian counterparts; future research examining the use of communication techniques by racial and ethnic minority health professionals are needed to further explore these findings.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Use of Recommended Communication Techniques by Diabetes Educators

Howe¹,

Walker²,

Watts³

2017

HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice

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Background: Diabetes educators are challenged to teach diabetes self-management to patients, ensuring comprehension. Effectiveness with patients may be dependent on the communication skills of the diabetes educator. Objective: This study sought to determine diabetes educators' use of and perceived effectiveness of recommended communication techniques with patients to teach diabetes self-management and to determine differences in communication by educator characteristics. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 522 diabetes educators, comprised mostly of nurses, dieticians, and pharmacists, completed the American Medical Association (AMA) Communication Techniques Survey at a national conference. The AMA survey assessed diabetes educators' self-reported use of and perceived effectiveness of 14 communication techniques. Internal consistency for items reporting frequency of communication techniques was α = 0.83 and for items reporting perceived effectiveness was α = 0.87. Key Results: Simple language, written patient education materials, and using Teach-Back were the most frequently reported techniques. Follow-up phone calls and drawing pictures were the least reported. Educators of Hispanic ethnicity used significantly more communication techniques than Caucasian respondents ( p < .05). Educators with more than 16 years in practice and those who provided more than 16 hours of diabetes education per week used significantly more techniques than those with less experience ( p < .01). Nurses used significantly more techniques than dieticians ( p < .01) and those who had health literacy or communication as part of their schooling used more techniques than those who did not ( p < .05). No significant difference on the routine use of communication techniques was found by education level or diabetes educator certification status. Conclusions: The findings provide a baseline assessment of diabetes educator communication practice. Inclusion of health literacy and communication in health professional school curricula appears to support competency, suggesting opportunities for inter-professional health literacy and communication education and research. [ Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2017;1(4):e145–e152.] Plain Language Summary: We did a survey asking diabetes educators how they communicate with their patients with diabetes. They mostly used simple language, gave out pamphlets, and used Teach-Back. They did not draw pictures to help explain things. Diabetes educators who were Hispanic, nurses, and had health literacy training in school used more communication techniques. Health literacy and communication should be included in training of health providers.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Use of Recommended Communication Techniques by Diabetes Educators

Howe¹,

Walker²,

Watts³

2017

HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice

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“…Health professions educators and others should match selected health literacy practices with their own underlying competencies when designing learning activities. (Coleman, et al, 2013) It should be noted, however, that although a variety of educational studies have reported positive effects of health literacy and clear communication curricula on knowledge and skills for health professionals (Coleman, Peterson-Perry, & Bumsted, 2016b; Coleman & Fromer, 2015; Toronto & Weatherford, 2015; Green, Gonzaga, Cohen, & Spagnoletti, 2014; Mackert, Ball, & Lopez, 2011; Coleman, 2011), to our knowledge, no studies have reported an effect of such interventions on patient-centered outcomes. Furthermore, in the absence of information regarding the cost of implementing training interventions to achieve health literacy and clear communication practices, it is not possible to comment on the actual resources needed for such interventions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Prioritized Health Literacy and Clear Communication Practices For Health Care Professionals

Coleman¹,

Hudson²,

Pederson³

2017

HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice

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Background: Health care professionals need more and better training about health literacy and clear communication to provide optimal care to populations with low health literacy. A large number of health literacy and clear communication practices have been identified in the literature, but health professions educators, administrators, and policymakers have lacked guidance regarding which practices should be prioritized among members of the health care workforce. Objective: This study sought to prioritize recommended health literacy and clear communication practices for health care professionals. Methods: A Q-sort consensus method was used among 25 health literacy experts to rank a previously identified list of 32 health literacy and clear communication practices for health care professionals. Mean ratings for each of the 32 practices were compared using t -tests. Key Results: Mean ratings for the 32 practices fell along a spectrum from higher to lower importance. The eight top-rated practices formed a cluster, and seven of these items demonstrated clear consensus, whereas one item may have been influenced by one or more outlier rankings. Conclusions: Although a large number of health literacy and clear communication practices have been recommended in the literature for health care professionals, this is the first known study to rank such practices in terms of importance. The top-rated items can be considered a core set of practices that all health care professionals should learn and routinely use in clinical settings. These consensus opinion results will help health professions educators, administrators, and policymakers to direct potentially limited resources toward improving training in patient-centered communication, and when designing curricula, practice standards, care delivery models, and policies for health care professionals and systems to improve patient outcomes. Future studies should empirically confirm the relative value of the ranked items in terms of patient-centered outcomes. [ Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2017;1(3):e90–e99.] Plain Language Summary: This is the first study to rank the most important things that health care workers can do to communicate more clearly with patients. A group of 25 experts ranked 32 items in order of importance. The list can be used to improve training for health care workers.

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“…A disease-management intervention that incorporates plain language, teach-back, and visual aids is associated with a greater likelihood of achieving prescribed health outcomes [44]. Previous research had indicated that health literacy interventions for medical students—including teaching plain language skills, teach-back techniques, and the use of universal precautions—lead to significant improvement in self-reported knowledge and planned behaviors [45]. Medical educators can assist residents and clinicians with using these strategies and developing these skills to effectively communicate health information to patients and caregivers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the health literacy of the Upper Midwest

Bakker

Koffel

Theis‐Mahon

2017

jmla

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ObjectivesHealth literacy—the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information—is a major determinant of an individual’s overall health and health care utilization. In this project, the authors examined predictors of health literacy levels, including numeracy and graphic literacy, among an adult population in the Upper Midwest.MethodsThe research was conducted at the Minnesota State Fair. Three previously validated scales were used to assess health literacy: Newest Vital Sign, the General Health Numeracy Test, and questions from Galesic and Garcia-Retamero’s Graph Literacy Scale. Demographic information—such as age, educational attainment, zip code, and other potential predictors and modifiers—was collected. Multivariate linear regression was conducted to examine the independent effects of educational attainment, race, ethnicity, gender, and rural or urban location on overall health literacy and scores on each of the individual instruments.ResultsA total of 353 Upper Midwest residents completed the survey, with the majority being white, college-educated, and from an urban area. Having a graduate or professional degree or being under the age of 21 were associated with increased health literacy scores, while having a high school diploma or some high school education, being Asian American, or being American Indian/Alaska Native were associated with lower health literacy scores.ConclusionAdvanced health literacy skills, including the ability to calculate and compare information, were problematic even in well-educated populations. Understanding numerical and graphical information was found to be particularly difficult, and more research is needed to understand these deficits and how best to address them.

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Long-term Effects of a Health Literacy Curriculum for Family Medicine Residents

Cited by 30 publications

References 20 publications

Use of Recommended Communication Techniques by Diabetes Educators

Use of Recommended Communication Techniques by Diabetes Educators

Prioritized Health Literacy and Clear Communication Practices For Health Care Professionals

Measuring the health literacy of the Upper Midwest

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