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All Relevant Resources for Health Workforce Development
Resource: The Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
This document, published by the United States National Center for Education Statistics, is a report on the results of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Resource: “Following the Physician’s Recommendations Faithfully and Accurately:” Functional Health Literacy, Compliance, and the Knowledge-Based Economy
This article by Sondra Cuban is a critical analysis of functional health literacy and provides insight into the challenges of health literacy.
Resource: “This does my head in”. Ethnographic study of self-management by people with diabetes
This study by Hinder & Greenhalgh (2012) provides a richer understanding of how people live with diabetes and why self-management is challenging for some. They find that self-management of diabetes is physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially demanding, and without support can be a difficult task to undertake.
Resource: 18 Stethoscopes, 1 Heart Murmur and Many Missed Connections
This article from The New York Times is written by a patient who talks about her experience with medical students and their bed-side manner. It highlights the importance of human connection, allowing the patient to engage with health professionals to build an understanding of the health.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/health/views/01cases.html?pagewanted=all
Resource: 4th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit. April 12 -13, 2011 [US]
Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. and the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN) were pleased to co-present the 4th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit on April 12-13, 2011 in Madison, Wisconsin. The theme was: Health literacy as the foundation for health care transformation. This event brought together international voices in the fields of health care, adult literacy and health care policy to address health literacy from an interdisciplinary perspective.
http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/wisconsin-health-literacy-summit-2011-media
Resource: 5th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit. April 9-10, 2013 [US]
Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. and the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN) were pleased to co-present the 5th Biennial Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit on April 9-10, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin. The theme was: Changing Systems, Changing Lives. This event brought together nationally important voices in the fields of health care, adult literacy and health care policy to address health literacy from an interdisciplinary perspective.
http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/wisconsin-health-literacy-summit-2013-media
Resource: A Conversation on Cultural Competence with Cindy Brach, Senior Health Policy Researcher, AHRQ
This dialogue with Cindy Brach discusses the importance of health literacy initiatives being recognised and implemented alongside cultural competence in interventions. Brach focuses in this case on interactions of minorities in the health system, and barriers that can be overcome using a culturally competent and health literacy approach.
Resource: A Maturing Partnership
In this article by Rudd (2002) she traces early innovations in the connection between literacy and health, through some current activities, and provides some suggestions for next steps in the development.
Resource: A new adaptive testing algorithm for shortening health literacy assessments
This article by Kandula et al (2011) describes the development of a new procedure for testing health literacy levels. They found that by using measurement decision theory (MDT), they were able to create an accurate test for health literacy which was 50% shorter than previous tests.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3178473/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: A Qualitative Analysis of Health Literacy Issues among Women with Visual Impairments
This article by Harrison et al (2010) provides insight into a qualitative analysis of 15 interviews with women in an attempt to discover what health literacy issues they may have. The women voiced that barriers to their ability to gain information in a format amenable to their processing skills, combined with barriers arising from healthcare providers’ attitudes, undermined their ability to build health literacy capacity
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993757/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: A Review of Health Literacy and Diabetes: Opportunities for Technology
This article by Boren (2009) reviews literature on health literacy and diabetes, as well as identifies opportunities for technology to strengthen information skills and modify behavior to improve diabetes health outcomes. It is noted that there is a connection between health literacy and diabetes but further research needs to be done. It is also stated that technology could help mediate the effect that limited health literacy has on diabetes-related health outcomes.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769840/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: A survey of how patient-perceived empathy affects the relationship between health literacy and the understanding of information by orthopedic patients? [Taiwan]
There is a lack of research examining patient-perceived empathy and its effect on low-literacy patients’ understanding of health information. This Taiwanese study (by Chu and Tseng 2013) investigated the moderating effect of patient-perceived empathy on the relationship between health literacy and understanding of preoperative information. The authors found that a focus on improving physician–patient empathy skills could be beneficial in helping to overcome the negative consequences associated with limited health-literacy capabilities. Chu and Tseng (2013) recommend that healthcare providers who wish to improve the understanding of information by low health-literacy patients should first identify components of their empathic communication mechanisms, and then try to refine these skills to better serve their patients.
Resource: A Systematic Review of Asthma and Health Literacy: A Cultural-Ethnic Perspective in Canada
In order to find links between asthma and health literacy in a cultural/ethnicity perspective, Poureslami et al (2007) performed a systematic review of all publications on the topic of asthma, health, and literacy among cultural groups from 1980 to 2006 using the Internet and journals. They conclude that there is an urgent need to better define the impact of cultural and ethnic issues in the management of asthma in Canada. Appropriately designed studies should better define the barriers in the optimal delivery of asthma care influenced by these parameters.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2100106/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: A systematic review of interventions in primary care to improve health literacy for chronic disease behavioral risk factors
This article by Taggart et al (2012) is a systematic review of health literacy interventions in primary care used to improve the health literacy of adults, and support change in behaviours such as smoking, nutrition, alcohol, physical activity, and weight.
Resource: Acceptability of the Talking Touchscreen for Health Literacy Assessment
For this study, Yost et al (2010) adapted the touchscreen for self-administration of a new health literacy measure. Acceptability of the touchscreen did not differ by health literacy level. The Talking Touchscreen was easy to use and acceptable for self-administration of a new health literacy measure. Self-administration should reduce staff burden and costs, interview bias, and feelings of embarrassment by those with lower literacy.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10810730.2010.500713
Resource: Active-Learning Strategies to Develop Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills
The objective of this study by Devraj et al (2010) is to implement active-learning exercises in a required pharmacy course and assess their impact on students' knowledge and confidence in identifying and communicating with patients with low health literacy. The authors conclude that the addition of active-learning activities was effective in teaching health literacy concepts to pharmacy students.
Resource: Addressing Health Literacy and Numeracy to Improve Diabetes Education and Care
This article by White et al (2010) discusses potential barriers to the provision of optimal diabetes care, patients' execution of successful self-management, and how these may include low health literacy and numeracy.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3032499/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: Addressing Low Literacy and Health Literacy in Clinical Oncology Practice
In this paper, Garcia et al (2011) provide an overview of currently available guidelines and resources to improve how the needs of patients with diverse literacy skills are met by cancer care providers and clinics. They present recommendations for health literacy assessment in clinical practice and ways to enhance the usability of health information and services by improving written materials and verbal communication, incorporating multimedia and culturally appropriate approaches, and promoting health literacy in cancer care settings. The paper also includes a list of additional resources that can be used to develop and implement health literacy initiatives in cancer care clinics.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3127453/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: Adequate health literacy is associated with higher heart failure knowledge and self care confidence in hospitalized patients
The purpose of this study by Dennison et al (2011) was to examine prevalence of inadequate health literacy; reliability of the Dutch Heart Failure Knowledge Scale (DHFKS) and Self Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI); and differences in heart failure (HF) knowledge, HF self care, and 30-day readmission rate by health literacy level among patients hospitalized with HF. Those with adequate health literacy were younger and had higher education level, HF knowledge scores, and HF self care confidence compared to those with marginal or inadequate health literacy. Self care maintenance and management scores and 30-day readmission rate did not differ by health literacy level.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116982/?tool=pmcentrez
Resource: Age Differences in Genetic Knowledge, Health Literacy and Causal Beliefs for Health Conditions
This study by Ashida et al (2011) examines the levels of genetic knowledge, health literacy and beliefs about causation of health conditions among individuals in different age groups. The researchers find that adding extra information may help older people understand genetic knowledge more easily, and that increase levels of genetic knowledge about complex diseases may help people to maintain healthy lifestyles.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136390/?tool=pmcentrez
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