Health Literacy

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Health Literacy

• Pamela Scott
• LIS 693 Health Sciences Librarianship
• Spring 2007

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What is literacy?

• A set of competencies needed to participate
  intelligently in a particular environment.
• To know when information is needed, how to locate
  it, and how to use it effectively (American
  Library Association)
• Self-learning lifetime learner

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What is Health Literacy

• the ability to read and comprehend prescription
  bottles, appointment slips and other essential
  health-related materials required to successfully
  function as a patient (Kirsch)

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Who Needs Health Literacy?

• Health Care Professionals know when to consult
  professional Library services
• Health Care Consumers know when to look at
  outside sources and know what resources to
  consult (online, Public Library, etc.)

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Benefits

• Health Professionals provide better care, better
  patient outcomes
• Patients engaged in self-care, increased
  interaction with health care professionals,
  healthier life-style

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Health Literacy Statistics

• 40 million Americans (one fourth of the US
  population) are considered functionally
  illiterate
• the average reading skills are between the 8th
  and 9th grade levels
• most health related and patient education
  materials are written at a grade level that is
  beyond the average level of comprehension
• Health information is often unfamiliar

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Results of Low Health Literacy

• Poor outcomes
• Non-compliance with instructions/prescription
  medications
• Higher rates of hospitalization
• Lack of proper self-care
• low health literacy is said to cost the 30-73
  billion a year

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Readability

• Readability measures are primarily based on
  factors such as the number of words in the
  sentences and the number of letters or syllables
  per word (i.e., as a reflection of word
  frequency). Two of the most commonly used
  measures are the Flesch Reading Ease formula and
  the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (McNamara)

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Readability Formulas

• Flesch reading Ease
• The output of the Flesch Reading Ease formula is
  a number from 0 to 100, with a higher score
  indicating easier reading. The average document
  has a Flesch Reading Ease score between 6-70.
• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
• The more common Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
  formula converts the Reading Ease Score to a U.S.
  grade-school level.

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MDConsult

• Patient Hand-out on Heart Attack (grade level)
• Description of symptoms (7.3)
• Instructions (11)
• All else ranging from 11 14.3

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American Heart Assocition
WebMD

• Better than MDConsult
• Range 4.2 9.1

• Ranges from 7.7 9.1

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Conclusion

• Inconsistencies between health information
  resources
• How to know if patients understand what theyre
  reading?

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References

• American Heart Association ((2007). Heart
  Attack. American Heart Association Website.
  Retrieved April 10, 2007 from http//www.americanh
  eart.org
• American Library Association (1989). Presidential
  committee on information literacy Final report.
  Chicago American Library Association. Retrieved
  February 1, 2007, from http//www.ala.org/ala/acr
  l/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.htm
• Gazmararian, J.A., Baker, D.W., Williams, M.V.,
  Parker, R.M., Scott, T.L., Green, D.C., et al.
  (1999). Health literacy among medicare enrollees
  in a managed care organization. Journal of the
  American Medical Association, 281(6), 545551.
• Kirsch I, Jungeblut A, Jenkins L, Kolstad A.
  (1993). Adult literacy in America A first look
  at the findings of the National Adult Literacy
  Survey. Washington National Center for
  Education Statistics, US Dept of Education
• McNamara, D., Readability Formulas. Retrieved
  April 10, 2007 from http//csep.psyc.memphis.edu/c
  ohmetrix/readabilityresearch.htm
• Nidus Information Services (2004). Heart Attack.
  MDConsult Online Database. Retrieved April 10,
  2007 from http//www.mdconsult.com
• WebMD, Inc. (2007). Heart Attack. WebMD Online
  Database. Retrieved April 10, 2007 from
  http//www.webmd.com