[NIFL-FOBASICS:58] literacy screening

From: The Cornwell's (cornwell@megalink.net)
Date: Sun Mar 28 1999 - 20:57:39 EST


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From: "The Cornwell's" <cornwell@megalink.net>
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Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:58] literacy screening
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Lynn,

I've been thinking about your request for a simple literacy screening tool
and it occurs to me that you probably already have one.  Almost every time
I go to my health center they ask me to fill out this long questionnaire
about my health insurance and history.  I'm sure all patients react to this
form in varying ways.  Some of the flags that may signal inadequate
literacy skills are:
	a patient who consistently hands the form to a friend or family member to
fill out
	a patient who consistently asks for help because s/he forgot her/his
glasses or injured the writing hand
	illegible or inappropriate answers on the form
	a patient who becomes belligerent when asked to fill out forms. (I came
here to see a doctor, not to do your paperwork!)
	a patient who gratefully accepts an offer of help in filling out the form

	Of course, people with highly developed literacy skills have been known to
leave their reading glasses at home or to hate filling out forms so none of
those indicators can be taken as a sure-fire clue to limited literacy.  I
think you could add that information to personal knowledge of the patient
(assuming this is a long-term relationship) and come up with a rough idea. 


Any other thoughts out there?

Betsy Cornwell
Northern Oxford County Even Start
cornwell@megalink.net



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