Health literacy is one of the hottest topics in health communication.

In this episode, you’ll learn 11 quick things you and your colleagues can do to prepare for patients with low literacy, and help improve all patients’ health literacy.

Show Transcript:

Hi This is 10 minutes to better patient communication.  I'm Dr. Anne Marie Liebel.

This podcast gives physicians tools and information that you can use to improve your patient communication and education–today, with your next patient. In the 10 minute series, I take one communication question or issue that doctors have raised, dig deeper into with some research, then give you a strategy that you can use in your practice today.  And I do it all in about 10 minutes.

Today's episode is about.  Health literacy is one of the hottest topics in health communication. I've just gotten back from the biggest health communication and health literacy research conference in the world.  There's plenty to talk about here.  Providers I talk to all are interested in it, and everyone seems to have different reasons why.

That's part of why everything you'll hear and read from me will have health literacy in it somehow maybe in the background, maybe in the foreground like today.  But I'm a big believer that health literacy is part of patient education, patient communication, and other large scale conversations going on in healthcare.

But how about we get down to it!

You're listening to this now because you care about health literacy too and you want to do something about it.  that's part of what's funny about academic research.  If academic research and clinical practice were on Facebook, their relationship status would be: it's complicated.

I'm here to do something about that.  In this episode you're going to learn no less than 11 things you can do to help support the health literacy of all your patients.  and knowing me you're also going to improve your patient education and communication as a side benefit.

So let's get started.  Here's the story.

I was talking to this nurse manager who had a concern about health literacy.  A few weeks earlier, she'd been preparing to see a patient.  When looking at the chart, she saw the result of an assessment indicating that her patient was illiterate.

Seeing this made the nurse manager worried. She began second guess herself, and was even unsure how she should approach the patient. When she spoke to me, weeks afterward, she was still concerned about how she handled the patient encounter.

Patient encounters are brief and busy, and you may not have time to create solutions on the spot if you learn your patients struggles with literacy.

Health literacy is increasingly recognized as a multifaceted phenomenon, beyond an individual's set of skills.  There is awareness that health literacy involves interactions.  Interactions among individuals, and between people and texts. Oral, written, and multimodal texts.

This is a good thing when you're hoping to educate a patient.

Here are some research-based steps you and your colleagues can take now, to prepare for patients who may have limited literacy.  And these go to 11.

First of all, literacy is complex.  Everyone has a range of literacy skills and processes.

Consider smart phones.  They're everywhere, and they require reading and writing.  If your patient can use a smart phone, they have some level of literacy.

Even people who are labelled as illiterate' have sophisticated ways of reading a text or image, keeping track of items, measuring and weighing, and estimating and calculating.  Only a few of these could possibly be captured by any assessment.  So don't panic at your patient's score.

Researchers are emphatic about the fact that a health literacy assessment score is NOT a proxy for a patient's education level.  But it can still wind up being treated that way.

I don't know what assessment the nurse manager's patient had taken.  But don't fall into the trap of thinking your patient is uneducated, or somehow deficient, if they struggle with reading or writing.

Approach your patient as someone who uses language in sophisticated ways in their everyday life.  Because it's true! Speak to them with this assumption in mind.  You'll feel less disconnected from your patient, and will be able to focus on the task at hand rather than some perceived deficiency.

If your patient comes to you with any information, items, or written material, talking about these is a good start.  These will be items with which they are already familiar, so there may be less nervousness about their meaning or significance.

Get clear for your sake and your patient's on which parts of their visit or procedure require them to read or write.

Ask yourself:

In literacy terms, modes are ways of communicating meaning. Think of how videos combine images and sound.  Those are two different modes.

One of the most powerful ways you can help patients learn is through mixing your modes.

This can be simple and unfussy. For example, take a written text you use frequently.  Read it aloud–the voice recorder on your phone works just fine–to turn into an audio file.  Maybe try reading with a little expression.

Post the audio file on your website.  You might offer to send it to patients' phones for them to listen to even while they're with you.

You only have to do this once, to help many patients.

These are sites you believe are communicating reliable and up-to-date information. Email these to patients, and post them on your site.

Bonus points for occasionally visiting a site together, side by side with a patient, and eliciting feedback!

Apps tend to be graphics-heavy.  They are also interactive.  Both of these traits are beneficial for learning.  Apps can also be less intimidating than pages of solid prose.

If you're not already asking your patients if they use apps, and which ones, do it.  Keep a list, both of the good and not-so-good ones. Share the good' ones with other patients. Be prepared to talk about which ones you don't recommend, and why.

Keep and update a list of podcasts and videos that explain your area of expertise from a patient perspective.  Post links to these on your site or share these through social media.

Don't know any? Ask your colleagues! Or post a question to an online community, and share with them what you collected.

Be clear with patients what you use email for, and how frequently.  Tell patients if there is a relationship between email and any patient portal they may be using.  Some of them play nicely together, some not so much.

Remind patients how you and your practice use social media.  Let them know if, and how, you use text messaging.

Consider the patient side: Can patients email you?  Can they text your practice for information or support for the action you want them to undertake?  What might they expect to see on your social media accounts?

Yes, patients audio recording doctor visits is one of those topics that people have strong opinions on.  Whatever your opinion, it's legal in 39 states for patients to record their time with you. So your patients may be doing it, or thinking about doing it, anyhow.

If you are ok with patients recording their time with you, I suggest you bring it out into the open and invite them to do so, if they wish.

How long has it been since you looked at the written materials you give to patients?

Make sure written materials are accompanied by images, and broken up into small paragraphs.  Everyone finds this more manageable and memorable.

How you physically handle and talk about written materials also matters to the meaning people take from them.  Handle a document with seriousness, and people will notice. Highlight or underline important passages, and talk about them or point to them when you're there with your patient.

These 11 hints play well with what you already value about patient-centered care, and good communication overall.  The more ways you can communicate a message, the more tools you're offering your patients to learn in a way–and in a context–that supports them best.

If you like what you're hearing, help me out by doing the rate and review in iTunes.  You know, give it stars and write something in the box.  I read it!  thanks this has been Dr. Anne Marie Liebel for Ten Minutes to Better Patient Communication.

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