Villaire Michael, Mayer Gloria
Prof Case Manag. 2007 Jul-Aug;12(4):213-6; quiz 217-8. doi: 10.1097/01.PCAMA.0000282907.98166.93.
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: Chronic disease affects 90 million American adults and disproportionately affects the elderly. Health literacy, or the ability to understand and apply information to care for oneself, is a challenge for the approximately 1 in 2 American adults who cannot read above a fifth-grade level. This article defines the problem of health literacy and provides useful information for case managers to better understand the scope of the problem and strategies for working with patients to ensure good communication.
PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING(S): All settings.
FINDINGS/CONCLUSIONS: Raising awareness of the scope of low literacy among patients is critical for any practice. Implementing basic practices to ensure effective communication will increase the likelihood of patient compliance and successful outcomes.
Keep key messages to patients to a minimum. Use the teach-back method with patients to ensure that they understand their care regimen and warning signs. Never ask, " Do you understand?" Ask patients to explain processes. Have your written patient education materials reviewed by a literacy expert to determine grade reading level. Materials should not be above a fifth-grade level, and should be culturally appropriate.
目的/目标：慢性病影响着9000万美国成年人，且对老年人的影响尤为严重。健康素养，即理解并应用信息进行自我护理的能力，对于大约二分之一阅读水平低于五年级的美国成年人来说是一项挑战。本文界定了健康素养问题，并为个案管理员提供有用信息，以便他们更好地理解问题的范围以及与患者合作以确保良好沟通的策略。
所有环境。
研究结果/结论：提高患者对低素养范围的认识对任何医疗机构来说都至关重要。实施基本措施以确保有效沟通将增加患者依从性和取得成功结果的可能性。
向患者传达的关键信息应尽量精简。对患者采用反馈教学法，以确保他们理解自己的护理方案和警示信号。绝不要问“你明白了吗？”，而是要求患者解释相关流程。让识字专家审阅你编写的患者教育材料，以确定其阅读年级水平。材料不应高于五年级水平，且应符合文化背景。
