Stem
Key or Distracter
Don’t Know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know __ don’t know
1. kidney
__ urine __ work
__ fever
2. occupation 3. medication
__ education __ treatment
__ instrument
4. nutrition
__ healthy
__ soda
5. miscarriage 6. infection 7. alcoholism 8. pregnancy
__ loss __ plant
__ marriage
__ virus
__ addiction
__ recreation __ childhood
__ birth __ dizzy __ sleep
9. seizure 10. dose
__ calm
__ amount __ harmony
11. hormones 12. abnormal 13. directed 14. nerves 15. constipation
__ growth __ different __ instruction
__ similar
__ decision __ anxiety
__ bored
__ blocked
__ loose
16. diagnosis
__ evaluation
__ recovery
17. hemorrhoids
__ veins
__ heart
18. syphilis __ don’t know Note: From Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2019). Health literacy measurement tools. https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/research/ tools/index.html#short Strategies for patients with low health literacy __ contraception __ condom
Patients who are identified as having low health literacy require specific strategies to assist with learning and comprehension. It is important for healthcare professionals to focus on what informa- tion the patient wants and needs. Studies have shown that the content patients need involves briefly telling them what’s wrong, telling them what they need to do and why, and emphasizing the benefits for them. With medications, there are additional require - ments, such as what the medication is, exactly how the medica- tion is taken, why the patient needs the medication, what side effects can be expected, and how the patient will benefit from the medication. Using plain language, in words the patient can understand, is vital (AHRQ, 2020a; Maryniak, 2019). Patient understanding, especially for those with low health litera- cy, can be improved by a few key approaches. The focus should be on “need to know” and “need to do.” Patients state in re- search that healthcare professionals give a lot of information, and it is difficult to determine the most important items they need to remember. Patients need to know, for example, “what comes next.” In outpatient settings, this may be what the patient must know or do when they leave the room or office. Inpatients may need to know what they must do in the hospital to meet discharge Learning style assessment As previously discussed, learning styles include auditory, visual, and tactile. There may be some variations in descriptions of styles, including terms such as aural, read/write, and kinesthetic. Learners may prefer a specific learning style, which should be considered. Additionally, multiple tools are available for assessing the learn- ing style of the patient and the healthcare professional. Common learning style assessments include the VARK questionnaire, Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory, and the Barsch Learning Style Inventory Adapting to learning styles Healthcare professionals can use multiple ways of presenting in- formation while performing patient teaching. It is important to emphasize the learning style of patients to optimize learning, comprehension, and retention. A combination of strategies is use- ful for patients who have more than one learning style. To learn best, patients who are visual learners need to see in- formation, so graphics and written information can be especially helpful. Images, diagrams, pictures, shapes, forms, and even col-
criteria, or what they need to do at home after discharge. Another example is content, or what the patients need to know about. This may be information about taking medications, referrals or follow- up, or self-care (AHRQ, 2020a; Maryniak, 2019). Healthcare Consideration: Using an effective teaching meth- od, such as teach-back, is highly recommended when working with patients who have low health literacy. Visual materials, demonstrations, and clearly written reference materials are also needed (AHRQ, 2020a; Maryniak, 2019). These strategies will be discussed further in this chapter. Self-Assessment Quiz Question #3 All the following are information that should be provided to a patient who has low health literacy EXCEPT: a. What the patient needs to do before discharge. b. How self-care should be done. c. Why a medication is important for the patient. d. How a medication acts in the body. (see the Resources section at the end of this chapter). Some tools involve longer assessments, and a few are more geared toward the learner in a school or other educational setting. The learning style assessment tools have commonalities in that they ask ques- tions about behaviors associated with learning. After scoring, the tools can identify the style or styles with which the person most likely learns best (Holt, 2022; Maryniak, 2019). or can assist with learning. Visual aids should clearly communicate the message and present the information in a way the patient can easily interpret. Use of clear labels, captions, and headings with visual aids are recommended. Written information should be clear, it should be in plain language, and it should enhance but not replace patient teaching. If there is verbal information, the visual learner can write it down for better results. Demonstration
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