Health Literacy Universal Precautions: Strategies for Communication with All Patients

2017 ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosina Avila Connelly ◽  
Aditi Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Universal Precautions

scholarly journals How doctors make themselves understood in primary care consultations: A mixed methods analysis of video data applying health literacy universal precautions

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257312
Author(s):  
Jennifer V. Byrne ◽  
Katriina L. Whitaker ◽  
Georgia B. Black
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Universal Precaution ◽  
Universal Precautions ◽  
Qualitative Thematic Analysis ◽  
Low Health Literacy ◽  
Tone Of Voice

Purpose To mitigate the health risks that result from low health literacy and difficulty identifying patients with insufficient health literacy, health organizations recommend physicians apply health literacy universal precaution communication skills when communicating with all patients. Our aim was to assess how health literacy universal precautions are delivered in routine GP consultations, and explore whether there were differences in how GPs used universal precaution approaches according to areas of deprivation in England. Methods This was a mixed methods study using video and interview data. Ten physicians conducted 217 consultations in primary care settings with adults over 50 years old between July 2017 and March 2018 in England. Eighty consultations (N = 80) met the inclusion criteria of new or persisting problems. Descriptive quantitative analysis of video-recorded consultations using an observation tool and qualitative thematic analysis of transcribed scripts. Meta-themes explored differences in physicians’ communication by areas of deprivation. Results Descriptive statistics showed physicians used a caring tone of voice and attitude (n = 73, 91.3%) and displayed comfortable body language (n = 69, 86.3%) but infrequently demonstrated profession-specific health literacy universal precaution communication skills, such as the teach-back technique (n = 3, 3.8%). Inferences about physicians’ communication from qualitative analysis converged with the quantitative findings. Differences in physicians’ communication varied according to areas of deprivation. Conclusions Physicians need health literacy universal precautions communication skills to improve population health.

scholarly journals Improving the Effectiveness of Medication Review: Guidance from the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. D. Weiss ◽  
A. G. Brega ◽  
W. G. LeBlanc ◽  
N. M. Mabachi ◽  
J. Barnard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Medication Review ◽  
Universal Precautions

scholarly journals Demonstration of the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natabhona M. Mabachi ◽  
Maribel Cifuentes ◽  
Juliana Barnard ◽  
Angela G. Brega ◽  
Karen Albright ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Universal Precautions

Workshop series for occupational therapists using the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit and other supported tools

2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-463
Author(s):  
Virginia E Koenig ◽  
Ingrid M Provident
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Universal Precautions ◽  
Perceived Ability ◽  
The Us

Objective: Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, evaluate and communicate information in a manner that promotes, maintains and improves health care in a variety of settings across the life span. Health professionals, including occupational therapists (OTs), need to consider health literacy in order to optimise client-centred interventions that promote self-management of chronic conditions, health and wellness. The goal of this small-scale cohort study was to determine if a health literacy workshop series for OTs could improve their working knowledge of health literacy, and increase their self-perceived ability to identify, assess and implement client-centred interventions to at-risk patients. Design: Over a 6-week period, six OT professionals participated in a customised workshop series, incorporating elements of the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (the Toolkit) and other AHRQ-supported health literacy resources. Method: A one-group, pre–posttest mixed methods design was used to measure outcomes. Results: Results of this study suggests that participation in a health literacy education programme featuring the Toolkit and other AHRQ-supported tools can improve OTs’ self-perceived ability to identify, assess and provide client-centred services to their patients. Responses to open-ended questions both pre-and post-intervention align with the literature in that health care professionals, like OTs, can benefit from customised health literacy training to improve client-centred care by implementing specific health literacy strategies into their clinical practice.

scholarly journals Developing and testing the health literacy universal precautions toolkit

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren A. DeWalt ◽  
Kimberly A. Broucksou ◽  
Victoria Hawk ◽  
Cindy Brach ◽  
Ashley Hink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Universal Precautions

Breaking Down Benefits: Employee Understanding of Benefits and Readability Levels of University Benefits Handbooks

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
Evan K. Perrault ◽  
Grace M. Hildenbrand
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Universal Precautions ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
Educational Backgrounds ◽  
Recommended Level

Benefits are often cited as one of the most important factors to hiring and retaining employees. One of the key ways employees learn about benefits is through communications provided by their human resources departments. However, little research has been dedicated to how effective employees perceive human resources communication about benefits to be. Universities offer a unique environment to study benefits communication due to employees’ diverse educational backgrounds. Employees’ perceived ease of understanding benefits information was investigated. Guided by a universal precautions approach to health literacy, this study also examined readability levels of benefits handbooks from more than two dozen large U.S. universities. Surprisingly, results revealed that faculty, and those with graduate degrees, had the lowest perceptions that they received easily understandable benefits information from their employer. Additionally, average benefits handbook readability levels are approximately twice the recommended level for a typical adult to adequately comprehend. Suggestions for improving benefits handbooks are discussed.

Improving Health Literacy at the Organizational Level

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-83
Author(s):  
Denise Isibel
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Health Care Information ◽  
Universal Precautions ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Care For The Elderly

BackgroundThe lack of health literacy is associated with higher mortality, more frequent hospitalizations, and increased use of healthcare services. Organizations must create an environment that prepares a workforce with a heightened sensitivity for health literacy.ObjectiveThe local Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program desired to have an organized plan to address health literacy.MethodsTwelve interdisciplinary team members of a Program for all Inclusive Care of the Elderly completed the Assessment Questionnaire from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. Once the questionnaire was complete organizational priorities were identified and the AHRQ Toolkit was utilized to develop next steps.ResultsThe organization identified three areas as priorities: development of a health literacy team, improving spoken communication with patients and care givers, and improving written information given via letters and home instructions.ConclusionsOrganizations, nursing, and quality care leaders may find these results useful to assess organizational literacy and develop improvement plans.Implications for NursingImplementation of the AHRQ Health literacy Universal Precautions toolkit may increase understanding and training health literacy, improve passage of health care information and increase patient safety.

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