#CPHC Chat April 2, 2013 Andrew Lopez Health Literacy sandyhubbard #CPHC is a chat for healthcare professionals, caregivers,

rs, patients and anyone advocating for health literacy. Tues at 1 pm EDT. All welcome! toughLoveforx @nursefriendly If you have some links I would much appreciate. Health care insurance is so complicated. Lots to figure out. #CPHC lindner_sarah @toughLoveforx Great article about insurance rates. Further proves people focus on premiums and not deductibles, cost sharing, etc. #CPHC nursefriendly @toughLoveforx Healthcare StickerShock :( http://t.co/C9OaQZNKaM #cphc nursefriendly Like #Reading #Literacy, #HealthcareLiteracy, #Healthlit is critically important to understanding your #healthcare choices. #cphc lindner_sarah Excited for today's topic. Low #HealthLiteracy is a universal problem that leads to greater health costs and poorer health outcomes. #CPHC nursefriendly From deciding what treatments to accept, to taking medications at home, not understanding can have catastrophic results :( #cphc sandyhubbard Q1. for @nursefriendly and rest can chime in > Why do you feel Health Literacy is important to you? As a layperson, professional? #CPHC nursefriendly T1 Everyday, you can read in the paper, children, senior citizens, hospitalized because someone didn't understand medication labels. #cphc lindner_sarah @nursefriendly #HealthLiteracy and #PatientSafety go hand in hand. #CPHC nursefriendly T1 It's be discovered that a large percentage of hospitalizations in the elderly are due to #medicationerrors at home :( #cphc toughLoveforx @sandyhubbard As a layperson health literacy is a must have to make decisions about appropriate care. #CPHC #cphc nursefriendly T1 As a #nurse, #patienteducation is one of our most important jobs at the #bedside, it is also one we have the least time for. #cphc sandyhubbard It sounds like health literacy and self-advocacy is a bigger issue than many understand. #CPHC NatriceR A1 understanding more about conditions, illness, meds, etc lead to better life for patients, families, and eases stress #cphc nursefriendly T1 We do what we can while our #patients are in our care, but once they go home, where is the follow-up? Are they on their own? #cphc ElinSilveous And unless the size of fonts/labeling on OTC and prescriptions get BIGGER there will likely be more errors. @nursefriendly #CPHC anetto Bigger fonts is a good start. Vitamin pill ingredients are the worst to read. #CPHC sandyhubbard We think of health literacy and advocacy as quality of life issues but they are health safety issues as well. #CPHC

AutoimmuneGal Q1: As patient, drastically impacts my quality life & future. No choice but to understnd my illness, meds, research etc. It's my job #cphc 7shores A1 So here is a bunch of resources for medications. Free & written for the consumer http://t.co/12P4mzbpcQ #CPHC CHopeMurray @nursefriendly is "not enough time" result of enforced reactiveness, demand for instant solutions + isolationism of cases/patients? #cphc nursefriendly @CHopeMurray Not enough time, is a result of it waiting often till the last minute, and not "factored" into a #nurses workload. #cphc nursefriendly @CHopeMurray #Patients & #Family do not know what to expect, what questions to ask, don't want to look stupid, so nod heads, leave. #cphc CHopeMurray @nursefriendly interesting, so the health visit completion process places low priority on patient comprehension of post visit duties? #cphc CHopeMurray @nursefriendly and by not focusing on the post visit understanding it invites greater volume of patients needing further treatment #cphc sandyhubbard Q2. Health Literacy, definitions. Can you have it without basic Reading Literacy? #CPHC NatriceR A2 difficult I would say RT @sandyhubbard: Q2. Health Literacy, definitions. Can you have it without basic Reading Literacy? #cphc toughLoveforx @sandyhubbard Q2. I think one can if one has an expert advocate. But if literate makes it much cheaper, faster, easier. #CPHC #cphc ElinSilveous Videos, illustrations, audio help RT @sandyhubbard Q2. Health Literacy, definitions. Can you have it without basic Reading Literacy? #CPHC Kalipizzaro #cphc Q2 reading important but other forms of media should be seen as important to help understanding Kalipizzaro #CPHC @toughLoveforx @natricer sure but suppose I mean don't assume high literacy equates to high health literacy :) lindner_sarah T1. #HealthLiteracy impacts all aspects of care: access, safety, quality and outcomes. #CPHC Kalipizzaro #cphc no one should leave without understanding what is in the discharge letter sometimes it is seen as information to another clinician innovativenurse Nurses can bridge gaps by providing community based care as independent consultants 4 hospitals #hotspotting #cphc sandyhubbard I think we can roll Q3 in with Q2 - what are the pitfalls/challenges of Low Health Literacy? Worldwide and across socio-eco strata #CPHC toughLoveforx @sandyhubbard Q3. Low literacy means no power for patients to be part of team to manage their own health care. #CPHC #cphc ElinSilveous Q3: Impact of low health literacy?: Worse outcomes, poorer health, higher costs, death. #CPHC

nursefriendly CDC: Health Literacy: the capacity to obtain, process, understand basic health information, services to make appropriate decisions. #cphc LAlupusLady To reduce readmissions, makes sense to invest a little time making sure patients understand how they can impact/help their treatment. #CPHC sandyhubbard We're also talking today about the challenges to be sure all people have access to info and can understand care instructions. #CPHC

sandyhubbard Moving into Q4. How can we improve Health Literacy? Where does it start? #CPHC anetto T4 Health Literacy should start in schools. It's a life skill #CPHC LAlupusLady T4 Start in grade school, talk about/share at an early age YOU are part of your health care team. @sandyhubbard #CPHC CHopeMurray A4) this is more than just an education program, even if you start at elementary school. This is a change in culture across the board #cphc ElinSilveous Q4. Teaching and fostering health literacy should begin at home and in the schools, starting w/self care skills and prevention. #CPHC CSlaterMD Health Literacy starts at home. talk about impt health issues at the dinner table........whenever u can #cphc lindner_sarah Q4. Create a shame-free environment #CPHC nursefriendly @toughLoveforx #PatientAdvocates can be an invaluable resource, if provided, if #patients #families can afford them. #cphc AfternoonNapper Improving health lit is two-fold: must work with existing pts and push literacy efforts in school ages for the future. #CPHC sandyhubbard Digging deeper... Q4a. Imagine money and time are no limits, how would you improve Healthcare Literacy around the world to all people? #CPHC anetto @sandyhubbard Maybe as an additive computer game with levels. Like http://t.co/GtcNMx2f64 (vocabularly game) for health #CPHC AutoimmuneGal @sandyhubbard Q4: Follow-up by HCPs is essential even if don't have appt. Reinforces instructions to make sure patients understand. #cphc lindner_sarah T4. Slow down; use plain, "living room" language with patients #CPHC lindner_sarah @NatriceR @toughLoveforx Yes! Medical jargon is still jargon no matter how high your literacy level. #CPHC DevHopeSante Q4; We can start it here #CPHC, inviting guests/patients, beyond the healthcare sector. Might give them opportunity to receive/spread e word nursefriendly A4 Think the most important point, is to do a learning assessment, so when you do teach, it is at the level of the #patient. #cphc

nursefriendly T4 Find out their baseline knowledge, fill in the gaps, then test on information given in a friendly, nonjudgmental way. #cphc LAlupusLady as patients age, give them the dignity to be involved in home and at Dr. appt., my 98 yr old grandma complains the Dr talks to mom #CPHC sandyhubbard Really go crazy here with Q4 - What are obstacles to Healthcare Literacy and where could imagination overcome them? #CPHC ElinSilveous 90+ percent of decisions/actions that impact health are made outside of the clinical setting... #CPHC Kalipizzaro #CPHC ensure HL is a public health issue not just a clinical issue :) or individual issue

BillWongOT @nursefriendly If it's my interpretation, I would say we just sometimes throw too many things at them at once! #cphc nursefriendly T4 Why not put #laptops in every #patient room and have #patients work through modules at their own pace, learn what they need to? #cphc sandyhubbard A4. Having access to charts, instructions online is helpful to computer literate population. That doesn't help everyone. #CPHC ElinSilveous Use your smart phone to audio record physician's instructions! @sandyhubbard @nursefriendly #CPHC AutoimmuneGal @ElinSilveous @sandyhubbard @nursefriendly love this idea. assume wld need doc permission too. #cphc anetto Maybe diagnosis should always come with resources to use at home - written or online when time to absorb #CPHC AutoimmuneGal MIght be larger role for social workers to help figure out what works for each patient, where gaps are in understanding diagnosis etc. #cphc sandyhubbard Q5. What are helpful resources for Health Literacy? (Websites, Blogs, People, Institutions, Printed Info, etc) #CPHC