Instructions for Off-site Clinics and Departments

October is Health Literacy Month!

An on-site Health Literacy Fair will take Place on 10/2 and 10/3 in the 4ACC.

It’s important to us that our offsite locations have this information too!

Responsible: Unit Director/Manager

During the Month of October 2012 Please present this

information to your staff by: Printing and posting it

on a Bulletin Board; or Presenting it at a Staff

Meeting

Health Literacy 101

To Learn More Contact: Audrey Riffenburgh Senior Health Literacy SpecialistOffice of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion272-5101

The Challenge: Meeting Our Patients’ Information Needs

Our challenge—health care systems are tough for patients to manage Difficult processes, hard-to-understand

policiesVerbal communication—too often not

understood, but patients don’t askPrint communication—too hard to read

or in terminology patients don’t know

Why Don’t People Understand?

Medical terms, the human body, and our health care system are mysteries!

Reduced cognitive function Increased demands for patient “self-care” Potential barriers of race, language, culture,

poverty, gender, illness, and literacy

What is Health Literacy? An individual’s ability to obtain,

process, understand and use health information and services to make appropriate health decisions.

~ Healthy People 2010

An organization’s ability to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to make…health decisions.

~ IOM “Attributes of a HL Organization,” 2012

Health Literacy vs. General Literacy

Low general literacy leads to low health literacy.

But even highly-literate people can have low health literacy.

No matter who you are, medical info is tough when you’re ill, stressed or don’t know about the topic.

“The Health Literacy of America’s Adults”

Only 12% are in the proficient level! 75 million adults are in below basic &

basic levels

Below Basic Basic Intermediate Proficient0

10

20

30

40

50

60

14

22

53

12

Source: 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)

Groups at Greatest Risk of Low Health Literacy Skills Seniors People living in poverty People from ethnic minority groups—

Hispanic, Black, American Indian People with physical, mental or other

health problems People with chronic or long term

health problems (Sources: 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey and Health Literacy of America’s Adults, 2003)

What is UNM Hospitals Doing to Improve Communication with Patients?

Health Literacy Classes Sign up through Learning Central

Patient-Friendly Document Committee Review and Revision of Certain Documents Creation of Templates Creation of Guideline Resources

Raising Awareness Health Literacy Fair October 2-3, 2012 Health Literacy Month – Bulletin Boards/Offsite Staff Education

Resources Online Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dept website from Intranet HSLIC Health Literacy LibGuide: http://hsc.unm.edu/library/

Check it Out!

Here are some recently revised documents from UNM Hospitals

See if you can spot the changes!

BEFORE

Original Parent Discharge Checklist (NBICU & ICN)

AFTER

Final Parent Discharge Checklist (NBICU & ICN)

BEFORE

Original Consent for Surgery or Procedure

Page 1

Page 2

AFTER

Final (Draft) Consent for Surgery or Procedure

Page 1

Page 2