Readability assessment of patient-provider electronic messages in a primary care setting

Abstract Background The high prevalence of limited health literacy among patients threatens the success of secure electronic messaging between patients from diverse populations and their providers. Objective The purpose of this study is to generate hypotheses about the readability of patient and provider electronic messages. Methods We collected 31 patient-provider e-mail exchanges ( n = 119 total messages) from a safety-net primary care clinic. We compared the messages’ mean word count and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Levels (FKGLs), calculated the frequency of provider messages below an FKGL = 8, and assessed readability concordance between patients’ and providers’ messages. Results Patients used more words in their initial e-mails compared to providers, but the FKGLs were similar, and 68% of provider messages were written below an FKGL = 8. Of 31 exchanges, 9 (29%) contained at least one patient message with an FKGL > 3 grade levels lower than the corresponding provider message(s). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that most providers are able to respond to patient electronic messages with a matching reading level.

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The Prevalence of Limited Health Literacy and Its Associated Factors among Elderly Patients Attending an Urban Academic Primary Care Clinic in Malaysia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18179044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (17) ◽

pp. 9044

Author(s):

Siti Nur Hidayah Abd-Rahim ◽

Mohamed-Syarif Mohamed-Yassin ◽

Suraya Abdul-Razak ◽

Mohamad Rodi Isa ◽

Noorhida Baharudin

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Medical Information ◽

Primary Care Clinic ◽

Care Clinic ◽

Limited Health Literacy ◽

Academic Primary Care ◽

Limited Health

Limited health literacy (HL) is linked to many negative health outcomes, including poor self-management of chronic diseases and medication adherence among patients. There are a lack of data regarding HL in the elderly population in Malaysia. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of limited HL levels and its associated factors among elderly patients in an urban academic primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 413 elderly patients (≥60 years old) who attended this academic primary care clinic between January 2020 and January 2021. Sociodemographic data, clinical characteristics, and health literacy scores were collected. Descriptive statistics (median with interquartile ranges (IQR), frequency, and percentages) and multiple logistic regression were utilized. The prevalence of limited HL in our population was 19.1% (95% CI: 15.3, 23). The middle-old (70–79 years) and very-old (≥80 years) age groups were more likely to have limited HL (aOR 4.05; 95% CI: 2.19, 7.52 and aOR 4.36; 95% CI: 1.02, 18.63, respectively). Those with at least secondary school education (aOR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.24) and those who found medical information via the internet/television (aOR 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.93) had lower odds of having limited HL. In conclusion, having limited HL levels was not common among elderly patients in this primary care clinic. Further studies involving rural and larger primary care clinics in Malaysia are required to support these findings.

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Law School Educational Intervention Benefits Individual Underserved Patients and Safety Net Primary Care Clinic

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2694300 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Joss E Rodriguez ◽

Wendi J. Adelson ◽

Kendall M Campbell

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Primary Care Clinic ◽

Safety Net ◽

Law School ◽

Care Clinic ◽

Underserved Patients

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140. Symptoms and Situations Predispose Patients to Use Antibiotics Without Medical Advice

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.450 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S200-S200

Author(s):

Michael Hansen ◽

Barbara Trautner ◽

Roger Zoorob ◽

George Germanos ◽

Osvaldo Alquicira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Departments ◽

Primary Care Clinic ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Safety Net ◽

Care Clinic ◽

Primary Care Clinics ◽

Primary Care Patients ◽

Emergency Department Patients

Abstract Background Use of antibiotics without a prescription (non-prescription use) contributes to antimicrobial resistance. Non-prescription use includes obtaining and taking antibiotics without a prescription, taking another person’s antibiotics, or taking one’s own stored antibiotics. We conducted a quantitative survey focusing on the factors that impact patients’ decisions to use non-prescription antibiotics. Methods We surveyed patients visiting public safety net primary care clinics and private emergency departments in a racially/ethnically diverse urban area. Surveys were read aloud to patients in Spanish and English. Survey domains included patients’ perspectives on which syndromes require antibiotic treatment, their perceptions of health care, and their access to antibiotics without a prescription. Results We interviewed 190 patients, 122 from emergency departments (64%), and 68 from primary care clinics (36%). Overall, 44% reported non-prescription antibiotic use within the past 12 months. Non-prescription use was higher among primary care clinic patients (63%) than the emergency department patients (39%, p = 0.002). The majority felt that antibiotics would be needed for bronchitis (78%) while few felt antibiotics would be needed for diarrhea (30%) (Figure 1). The most common situation identified “in which respondents would consider taking antibiotics without contacting a healthcare provider was “got better by taking this antibiotic before” (Figure 2). Primary care patients were more likely to obtain antibiotics without prescription from another country than emergency department patients (27% vs. 13%, P=0.03). Also, primary care patients were more likely to report obstacles to seeking a doctor’s care, such as the inability to take time off from work or transportation difficulties, but these comparisons were not statistically significant. Figure 1. Patients’ agreement that antibiotics would be needed varied by symptom/syndrome. Figure 2. Situations that lead to non-prescription antibiotic use impacted the two clinical populations differently Conclusion Non-prescription antibiotic use is a widespread problem in the two very different healthcare systems we included in this study, although factors underlying this practice differ by patient population. Better understanding of the factors driving non-prescription antibiotic use is essential to designing patient-focused interventions to decrease this unsafe practice. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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