OCTOBER IS HEALTH LITERACY MONTH

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines health literacy as the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Numerous studies have shown that the skills required to comprehend everyday healthcare information exceed the ability of the average person. According to the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, nearly nine out of 10 adults have difficulty using routine health information. The Patient Education Department at the OSUCCC – James wants patients to participate in their care and have the knowledge, skill and confidence they need to self-manage their health.

“When people struggle with understanding how to prevent and manage health conditions, they are more likely to skip necessary medical tests, have a harder time with self-care, make mistakes with their medicines and visit the emergency room more often,” says Joyce Hendershott, MSW, ACSW, LISW-S, associate director of the Patient Education Department.

Here are some ways you can facilitate patient learning and understanding:

• Reassure the patient that it can be stressful to learn when one is ill or in treatment. 
• Use plain, non-medical language when sharing information.
• Ask the patient’s permission to include another person, such as a caregiver or family member, in the teaching session.  
• Ask the patient and/or caregiver to re-state what they have been told and how they will carry out the instructions. This “Teach Back” method is one of the top patient safety practices.
• Document patient education in the medical record so other clinicians can see what has been reviewed and reinforce the learning in their interaction with the patient.

The Patient Education Department provides easy-to-understand health information (handouts, books and videos) to help patients and their caregivers learn more about cancer and its treatment. These resources were created by clinical experts and can be found on our website at cancer.osu.edu/patienteducation. Patient education materials can also be found in waiting rooms and resource centers in the hospital and clinic areas.

For more information, contact the Patient Education Department at 293-5853 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.