ACU
1420 Spring Hill Rd.
Suite 600
Tysons Corner, VA 22102
(703)442-5318
(703)749-5348 - Fax acu@clinicians.org
HEALTH LITERACY
The ACU Health Literacy Study
The ACU is examining the problem of health literacy in primary care settings with its newest study entitled, Assessing Health Literacy Practices. This study included an online survey, open to all clinicians, and also included 5 site visits of health facilities that identified themselves as addressing health literacy practices.
This study identifies promising practices clinicians use in communicating treatment recommendations and health information with their patients. To read summaries of site visits of the interviewed health facilities, click here.
What is Low Health Literacy?
Health Literacy is defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. According to the 2004 IOM report entitled Health Literacy: A Prescription To End the Confusion, approximately 90 million adults have trouble understanding and acting on health information provided by their clinician.
Low health literacy is a greater barrier among older adults, people with limited education, and those with limited English proficiency. They often have more problems managing chronic illness; have higher utilization of health services and poorer health outcomes. Miscommunication during the medical encounter can cause adverse medical events, minimizes shared decision-making and increases the risk of medical errors.
Rapid demographic changes in the US population have escalated problems of low health literacy. However, both low-literate and well-educated individuals can have difficulty in successfully negotiating the health care system. The problem is multifaceted requiring comprehensive, multi-pronged approaches. Also, health literacy skills need to be infused into medical curricula and continuing medical education for all clinicians.
National Health Advisory Committee Members
Laurie Francis, MPH- Community Health Partners, Inc.
Marilyn Hughes Gaston, MD- The Gaston and Porter Health Improvement Center
Tawara Goode, MA- National Center for Cultural Competence
Anita Smith Hawkins, PhD- Morgan State University
Loretta Heurer, RN, PhD, FAAN- University of North Dakota College of Nursing
Wendy Jones, MEd, MSW- National Center for Cultural Competence
Kevin L. Larsen, MD- Hennepin County Medical Center
Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE- El Rio Community Health Center
Michelle Mancuso, MPH- Kaiser Permanente
Asha Subramanian, MD, MPH- Georgetown University School of Medicine, Congress Heights Community Health Center
Rebecca, Sudore, MD- University of California San Francisco Division of Geriatrics
Vera Smoot Taylor, PhD- Morehouse School of Medicine
Michael Valentin, MSW- St. Michael's Medical Center
Sharon Youmans, PharmD, MPH- University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy
ACU's Health Literacy Team
Sharon E. Barrett, MS - Principal Investigator
Jennifer Sheen Puryear, MPH, CHES - Project Coordinator
Kathie Westpheling, MPH - Executive Director
