Print+CourseSmart

To maintain their own health and the health of their families and communities, consumers rely heavily on the health information that is available to them. This information is at the core of the partnerships that patients and their families forge with today's complex modern health systems. This information may be provided in a variety of forms â€" ranging from a discussion between a patient and a health care provider to a health promotion advertisement, a consent form, or one of many other forms of health communication common in our society. Yet millions of Americans cannot understand or act upon this information. To address this problem, the field of health literacy brings together research and practice from diverse fields including education, health services, and social and cultural sciences, and the many organizations whose actions can improve or impede health literacy. Health Literacy: Prescription to End Confusion examines the body of knowledge that applies to the field of health literacy, and recommends actions to promote a health literate society. By examining the extent of limited health literacy and the ways to improve it, we can improve the health of individuals and populations.

Health literacy-the ability for individuals to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services to facilitate appropriate health decisions-is increasingly recognized as an important facet of health care and health outcomes. Although research on health literacy has grown tremendously in the past decade, there is no widely agreed-upon framework for health literacy as a determinant of health outcomes. Most instruments focus on assessing an individual's health literacy, yet the scope of health literacy reaches far beyond an individual's skills and abilities. Health literacy occurs in the context of the health care system, and therefore measures of health literacy must also assess the demands and complexities of the health care systems with which patients interact. For example, measures are needed to determine how well the system has been organized so that it can be navigated by individuals with different levels of health literacy and how well health organizations are doing at making health information understandable and actionable. To examine what is known about measures of health literacy, the Institute of Medicine convened a workshop. The workshop, summarized in this volume, reviews the current status of measures of health literacy, including those used in the health care setting; discusses possible surrogate measures that might be used to assess health literacy; and explores ways in which health literacy measures can be used to assess patient-centered approaches to care.

"Dr. Parnell has captured the essence of health literacy and cultural competence, not only for nurses, but also applicable to all care providers and community workers. [and] provides us with a road map to enhance our success through health literacy and cultural competence. This is a must read for all health professionals." -Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS (From the Foreword) 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006) Distinguished Professor, University of Arizona Promoting the health literacy of patients across all settings is an essential component of prevention, wellness, and effective medical treatment. This health literacy textbook provides an overview of health literacy, discusses the magnitude of the issue, and explains implications of low health literacy. It details strategies to enhance effective communication between patients and nursing practitioners. Through case-based examples, this textbook and clinical guide assists nurses in developing the requisite skills needed to communicate effectively so that patients can truly make informed health decisions and enhance health outcomes. Health Literacy in Nursing promotes verbal and written communication strategies that nurses can use to effectively meet the individualized needs of an increasingly diverse patient population in an effort to enhance patientñprovider communication across the entire continuum of care. It provides strategies for creating culturally appropriate written materials in plain language that patients can read and follow when they arrive home. Nursing professionals can build upon the basic tools offered in the text throughout their career to stay abreast of methods to effectively communicate and educate a culturally and linguistically diverse demographic. Additionally, the material can easily be incorporated into course content regarding ìunique populationsî (pediatrics, older adults, research participants, and those managing mental health and end-of-life care decisions) for whom health literacy is often overlooked. The book will be valuable to undergraduate and graduate nursing students studying to meet advanced nurse practice competencies and is an essential resource for practicing nurses who must stay abreast of evolving standards and regulations related to the provision of safe and effective patient and family-centered care. Key Features: Provides a solid foundation for developing skills that foster health literacy among all patients and practitioners Assists in meeting the regulatory requirements for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate patient education Includes guidelines for improving health literacy according to increasingly evolving regulatory standards Includes case-based examples to illustrate the purpose and effectiveness of enhancing patient and provider health literacy skills Addresses both oral and written communication strategies

The first graduate text to address health literacy in the aging population Low health literacy is a critical issue among adults, with over one-third found to have difficulty understanding such basic information as that found on prescription bottles. This is the first graduate textbook to address key health literacy issues as they affect the health and wellbeing of the aging population. Embracing a topic spanning numerous disciplines, it features a dynamic, multiple contextual systems approach and includes contributions from renowned scholars and practitioners in gerontology, public health, social work, nursing, and other related fields. The text emphasizes increasing health literacy among older adults through the use of technological tools and features the most current research, evidence-based programs, and practices. The book provides expansive coverage of the intersection of technology and health literacy, highlighting innovative approaches and discussing how to use technology with resource-limited groups. The text gives special consideration to rural, impoverished, culturally diverse, and low literacy elders and presents gold standard intervention programs and models. Also covered are the policy implications of programs focusing on increasing health literacy and future directions for meeting the Healthy People 2020 initiative. Case studies, review questions, accompanying powerpoint lectures, learning objectives, will reinforce learning. Key Features: Provides a one-of-a-kind, multidisciplinary survey of the key health literacy issues of older adults Focuses on increasing health literacy across the disciplines Addresses a priority area of Healthy People 2020 Incorporates research and practice from gerontology, psychology, public health, social work, sociology, medicine, and nursing Includes case studies, review questions, learning objectives, and PowerPoint slides for assisting instructors.

Most healthcare providers know that health literacy is a major barrier to positive health outcomes, but regardless of good intentions they continue to simply present health information rather than promote deep patient learning. With Dr. Melissa N. Stewart’s unique, research-driven approach, The Art and Science of Patient Education for Health Literacy helps you make the shift from simply presenting health information to activating deep patient learning. Revised and thoroughly updated from Dr. Stewart’s Practical Patient Literacy: The MEDAGOGY Model, The Art and Science of Patient Education for Health Literacy equips both students and healthcare providers with the skills needed to engage patients' brains in order to help them understand their conditions and promote long-lasting behavior change. Based on the neuroscience of learning, this groundbreaking book is packed with abundant tools to teach students and practitioners how to negotiate effectively with patients about what they will and won't do to maintain and improve their health. Equipped with enhanced levels of health literacy, your patients will better understand their illnesses and become their own best healthcare advocates. UNIQUE! Focus on the author’s proven patient literacy model applies a reliable methodology to promote patient health and reduce hospital readmissions. Practical, patient-centered approach emphasizes how to help patients formulate their own healthcare goals to promote their own health. In-depth discussion of pedagogy and andragogy introduces how these concepts can be used to teach different patients and accommodate their educational needs. Case Studies promote reader engagement and active learning. Guidance on how to understand the patient’s emotional state and grieving process helps you understand when and how to best communicate health information. Handy tools such as the Patient Education Hierarchy, Informational Seasons, the PITS mode, and the UPP tool add direction to individual and/or team patient education efforts. UNIQUE! Research-driven approach based on the latest findings in the neuroscience of learning. NEW! Addresses the emergence of health literacy as a crucial issue for the future of high-quality healthcare. NEW! and UNIQUE! Incorporates the author's Self-Activation Tool to help patients activate their own learning. NEW! Colorful design and numerous illustrations promote reader engagement and active learning. NEW! Chapter-ending Key Points provide a focused self-check for each chapter. NEW! Broader focus on different health professions provides information for a wide range of caregivers.

Most healthcare providers know that health literacy is a major barrier to positive health outcomes, but regardless of good intentions they continue to simply present health information rather than promote deep patient learning. With Dr. Melissa N. Stewart's unique, research-driven approach, The Art and Science of Patient Education for Health Literacy helps you make the shift from simply presenting health information to activating deep patient learning. Revised and thoroughly updated from Dr. Stewart's Practical Patient Literacy: The MEDAGOGY Model, The Art and Science of Patient Education for Health Literacy equips both students and healthcare providers with the skills needed to engage patients' brains in order to help them understand their conditions and promote long-lasting behavior change. Based on the neuroscience of learning, this groundbreaking book is packed with abundant tools to teach students and practitioners how to negotiate effectively with patients about what they will and won't do to maintain and improve their health. Equipped with enhanced levels of health literacy, your patients will better understand their illnesses and become their own best healthcare advocates. UNIQUE! Focus on the author's proven patient literacy model applies a reliable methodology to promote patient health and reduce hospital readmissions. Practical, patient-centered approach emphasizes how to help patients formulate their own healthcare goals to promote their own health. In-depth discussion of pedagogy and andragogy introduces how these concepts can be used to teach different patients and accommodate their educational needs. Case Studies promote reader engagement and active learning. Guidance on how to understand the patient's emotional state and grieving process helps you understand when and how best to communicate health information. Handy tools such as the Patient Education Hierarchy, Informational Seasons, the PITS mode, and the UPP tool add direction to individual and/or team patient education efforts. UNIQUE! Research-driven approach based on the latest findings in the neuroscience of learning. NEW! Addresses the emergence of health literacy as a crucial issue for the future of high-quality health care. NEW! and UNIQUE! Incorporates the author's Self-Activation Tool to help patients activate their own learning. NEW! Colorful design and numerous illustrations promote reader engagement and active learning. NEW! Chapter-ending Key Points provide a focused self-check for each chapter. NEW! Broader focus on different health professions provides information for a wide-range of caregivers.