All accreditations for this course have expired.

This course has been updated. The new version of this course is located here.

Course Summary

Many adults have limited health literacy that can lead to poor health and increase burden upon the health system. Most medical consultations can be lengthy and involve verbal and written health communication. The majority of physicians hand out written patient education materials, yet it is estimated that the average adult in the United States has a basic grade school level of reading. There exists a discrepancy between how the average health provider communicates information to patients and what most of the patients are able to understand. Often health literacy is associated with a language or cultural barrier, however many individuals will have low literacy of health issues simply because they do not understand, are anxious or have pre-existing risk factors such as age and chronic comorbidities. National health organizations leading public health policy are developing clinical education and improved standards of patient care that promote more effective ways to communicate health information to patients across the literacy spectrum.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

I. Introduction
II. Health Literacy and Managing Disease

1.   Health Literacy Skills

III. Patient Communication
IV. Impact of Health Literacy and National Goals

1.   Plain Writing Act
2.   Impact of Health Literacy

V. Health Literacy Research

1.   Detecting Low Health Literacy
2.   Improving Health Communication

VI. Professional Practice Skills

1.   Confirmation of Comprehension
2.   Use Appropriate Educational Materials

VII. Case Study: Health Literacy during Pregnancy
VIII. Case Study: Ecological Momentary Assessment
IX. Summary