20 tools address literacy needs
20 tools address literacy needs
Toolkit offers range of resources
Some of the "tools" in the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit may not be the typical forms or handouts that many toolkits provide, but they are effective, says Laura Noonan, MD, director of the Center for Advancing Pediatric Excellence at Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte, NC.
For example, one of the tools is a list of recommendations to improve one-on-one communication with patients. In addition to the description of tips, such as greeting patients with a smile and speaking at a moderate pace, the tool includes links to other teaching methods that should be incorporated into one-on-one teaching.
The toolkit addresses four areas:
1. Improve spoken communication.
2. Improve written communication.
3. Improve self-management and empowerment.
4. Improve supportive systems.
One area that surprises many people is the section on supportive systems, says Darren DeWalt, MD, associate professor of medicine at University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill and lead author of the toolkit. "We found that even when you make sure the patient understands the importance of taking medication, if the patient can't afford the medication or has no transportation to go to a pharmacy, the medication won't be taken," he explains. For this reason, a number of tools to identify community resources to address barriers beyond literacy are included in the kit, he says.
A few of the tools included in the kit are:
the teach-back method
telephone considerations
brown bag medication review
how to address language differences
culture and other considerations
design easy-to-read material
welcome patients: helpful attitudes, signs, and more
encourage questions
improve medication adherence and accuracy
get patient feedback
link patients to non-medical support.
Some of the "tools" in the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit may not be the typical forms or handouts that many toolkits provide, but they are effective, says Laura Noonan, MD, director of the Center for Advancing Pediatric Excellence at Carolinas Healthcare System in Charlotte, NC.Subscribe Now for Access
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