Health Literacy and Cultural Competency

Research Findings

Health Literacy

Research Activities, August 2008:
New Spanish-language consumer guide compares oral diabetes medications

Research Activities, July 2008:
AHRQ announces guide to help patients on Coumadin®/warfarin therapy
Multiple prescriptions are linked to preventable drug reactions in children
Book chapter provides strategies and tips for addressing health literacy
Only about 1 in 10 adult Americans have all the skills needed to manage their health

Research Activities, June 2008:
AHRQ and the Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care

Research Activities, May 2008:
AHRQ and Ad Council encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care
Use of a visual medication schedule and brief physician counseling can reduce time to anticoagulation control
Nearly one-third of adults show low literacy on dental health
Limited health literacy is a barrier to patients taking the correct prescribed medications
Poor literacy is linked to poor HIV medication adherence among blacks, and may contribute to HIV health disparities

Research Activities, April 2008:
Life challenges, not discharge problems, cause repeat hospitalizations

Research Activities, January 2008:
AHRQ releases toolkits to help providers and patients implement safer health care practices

Research Activities, December 2007:
New AHRQ tools help pharmacies better serve patients with limited health literacy

Research Activities, November 2007:
Local touchscreen computer kiosks can help parents in urban, low-income communities learn about their child's health
California Medicaid managed care plans would like to increase chronic disease care management programs

Research Activities, October 2007:
Strategies to improve health literacy for diverse populations should address literacy, language, and cultural barriers
Health literacy is not associated with how minorities perceive their physical or mental health status

Research Activities, May 2007:
Elderly Medicare patients with low health literacy receive little tangible support for their health care needs

Research Activities, November 2006:
Many men still confuse benign prostatic hyperplasia with prostate cancer, even after viewing an instructional videotape

Research Activities, July 2006:
Aggressive Medicaid and SCHIP outreach programs are needed to enroll Latino children

Research Activities, May 2006:
Researchers examine gender disparities in the quality of preventive care and management of heart disease and diabetes

Research Activities, March 2006:
Colorectal cancer screening rates are low among Latinos and people with little education

Research Activities, February 2006:
Studies suggest that ethnic differences in use of knee replacement surgery are linked to patient expectations and preferences

Research Activities, December 2005:
Computer kiosks help patients with diabetes and low literacy skills understand their susceptibility to complications

Research Activities, June 2005:
Developing an illustrated version of the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans (CAHPS®)

Research Activities, May 2004:
A user-friendly computer touchscreen enables low literacy cancer patients to more accurately report quality of life outcomes

Research Activities, April 2004:
AHRQ issues new evidence reports on health literacy and other topics
Researchers examine racial and ethnic disparities in emergency care
A typology of shared decision making, informed consent, and simple consent
Health literacy, social support, and health: A research agenda

Research Activities, April 2003:
Researchers focus on diabetes prevalence and control among urban black adults and diabetes understanding by the undereducated

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Cultural and Linguistic Competency

Research Activities, August 2008:
New Spanish-language consumer guide compares oral diabetes medications
Enhancing the cultural competence of both clinicians and clinics may work synergistically to reduce care disparities

Research Activities, July 2008:
Asian-Pacific Islanders are more likely to die from serious, but treatable, hospital complications

Research Activities, May 2008:
AHRQ and Ad Council encourage Hispanics to become more involved in their health care
Use of a visual medication schedule and brief physician counseling can reduce time to anticoagulation control
Pain varies among women with late-stage breast cancer
Physicians could improve end-of-life communication and decision-making for elderly patients with advanced heart failure

Research Activities, April 2008:
White children are about twice as likely to use stimulants as black and Hispanic children
Physicians tend to be more patient-centered with more positive, satisfied, and involved patients

Research Activities, January 2008:
AHRQ releases toolkits to help providers and patients implement safer health care practices

Research Activities, November 2007:
Mexicans' access to primary care is limited overall, but worse in nonmetropolitan areas
California Medicaid managed care plans would like to increase chronic disease care management programs

Research Activities, October 2007:
Strategies to improve health literacy for diverse populations should address literacy, language, and cultural barriers
Asian Pacific American ethnic groups vary in their adherence to antihypertensive drug therapy
Three-fourths of low-income black women are dissatisfied with their body size 6 months after giving birth

Research Activities, September 2007:
Children with complex chronic conditions are more likely to die in their homes than in the hospital

Research Activities, April 2007:
Oncologists appear to communicate differently with breast cancer patients depending on women's age, race, education, and income
Clinic-based and community-based strategies can promote the use of key preventive services by Latina women
Elderly people find international medical school graduates to lack in cultural competency and communication skills

Research Activities, February 2007:
Japanese and Filipino women are much less likely than white women to undergo breast-conserving therapy for breast cancer

Research Activities, December 2006:
Older American Indians often have a poorer view of their own health than their doctors

Research Activities, September 2006:
The impact of interpreters on parents' experiences with ambulatory care for their children

Research Activities, August 2006:
Studies highlight the value of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to inform trends in care costs, coverage, use, and access

Research Activities, July 2006:
Puerto Rican children are diagnosed with asthma more often than other children

Research Activities, May 2006:
Parents of children with special health care needs identify multiple barriers to accessing care for their children
Researchers examine gender disparities in the quality of preventive care and management of heart disease and diabetes

Research Activities, April 2006:
Researchers describe the development and testing of the CAHPS® Hospital Survey
Doctor-patient communication is critical to how parents view the quality of end-of-life care for children with cancer

Research Activities, March 2006:
Interpreters are an effective communication option for patients with limited English proficiency
Recruitment of Hawaiians and Filipinos for clinical trials should address informed consent, research safeguards, and benefits
Colorectal cancer screening rates are low among Latinos and people with little education
Better communication and coordination of care could reduce frustration experienced by patients with chronic diseases

Research Activities, February 2006:
Clinical setting and physician communication style predict patient participation during medical consultations

Research Activities, January 2006:
State-subsidized health insurance programs provide both benefits and difficulties for low-income children

Research Activities, December 2005:
Randomized trial reveals community-based case managers increase public insurance enrollment of uninsured Latino children
Acculturation, length of relationship, and physician ethnicity influence Japanese Americans' trust of doctors

Research Activities, November 2005:
Studies detail the impact of costs on drug and health care use

Research Activities, September 2005:
Ethnically diverse patients define what cultural competence means to them
Acculturation plays a pivotal role in the health status and behaviors of Latinos in the United States
Studies highlight the importance of providing interpreter and translating services for minorities

Research Activities, August 2005:
Traditional values underlie older Korean Americans' preference for informal over formal long-term care arrangements

Research Activities, July 2005:
Efforts to help physicians improve care for underserved patients should address issues of communication and respect

Research Activities, April 2005:
Messages about appropriate antibiotic use must be responsive to ethnic differences and literacy issues

Research Activities, March 2005:
Health plans take action to improve services for members with limited English proficiency

Research Activities, December 2004:
Mail surveys and telephone interviews can be used to survey Asian Americans with limited English proficiency

Research Activities, July 2004:
Inner-city parents often have limited knowledge about managed care rules and practices

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