Health Literacy in Primary Care: A Clinician's Guide / Edition 1

by Gloria G. Mayer RN, EdD, FAAN, Michael Villaire MSLM

Overview

Designated a Doody's Core Title! At the intersection of health care delivery and practice there lies a large area of patient care with no manual: how to provide the best care to patients who have a critically low level of comprehension and literacy. Because all patients play a central role in the outcome of their own health care, competent health care becomes almost impossible for caregivers when the boundary of low literary skills is present. In a concise and well-written format you will learn: Common myths about low literacy Examples of low health care literacy How to recognize patients with low literacy Strategies to help patients with low literacy and reduce medical errors Cultural issues in health literacy Ways to create a patient-friendly office environment How to improve patient communication Guidelines to target and overcome common problems practitioners encounter This clear, well written book is packed with examples and tips and will serve as a much needed guide for primary care providers, nurse practitioners, hospital administrators, and others who are looking for ways to improve their communication with patients and provide the most beneficial health care to their low-literacy patients.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826102294
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/21/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Gloria G. Mayer, RN, EdD, FAAN, is President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Advancement in La Habra, California.

Michael Villaire, MSLM, is Director of Programs and Operations at the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA).

Read an Excerpt

chapter

Table of Contents

Preface
Foreword

• Understanding Health Literacy
• Creating a Patient-Friendly Environment
• Assessing Patients' Literacy Levels
• Understanding and Avoiding Medical Errors
• Factoring Culture into the Care Process
• Improving Patient-Provider Communication
• Designing Easy-to-Read Patient Education Materials
• Principles of Writing for Low Literacy
• Using Alternative Forms of Patient Communication
• Interpreters and Their Role in the Health Care Setting
Afterword
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"...a timely introduction to health literacy fundamentals. Writing in a conversational tone that seems ideally suited for an audience of undergraduates or beginning professionals-in-training, the authors carefully raise awareness of the concept step by step., often beginning with everyday examples before adding applications to primary care."—PsycCRITIQUES