That is a very interesting observation that I really hadn't thought too much about previously.  My personal reaction is that adult literacy has long been a "have-not" issue - that is, it is something that is perceived to be applicable to only a narrow range of society (regardless of what actually is true).  Therefore, we like to pigeon-hole it into our category of "others that we can and should help."  With the advent of all the publicity about such issues as medical errors and patient safety, suddenly the question of what we can read or perceive has become a "we" issue instead of a "them" issue.  Now we seem to all be striving for more information.  One method of change implementation is the idea of patient empowerment and, unfortunately, that may continue to be an obstacle to those with significant literacy issues.

 

The biggest problem that I see in health literacy is that it is very difficult to measure just how much someone knows - especially when the need for that knowledge might occur in a time or enormous stress and consequence.  I work in health literacy - I know all the drills - I know what the doctor is talking about - but that doesn't necessarily mean that I will understand something said to me when I am under stress.  I know that the number one way to stop hospital infections is for everyone to wash their hands.  Does that mean that I will demand that a doctor (who's about to do something that might be painful to me) to wash their hands?  The last thing I want to do is anger him or her.  I guess that's why I'm such a fan of pictures to get a point across.  If I'm wearing a button that says, "Stop!  Did you wash your hands" it takes it out of the realm of me reproving a medical person.

 

I don't know how that would translate to adult literacy, though.  Maybe we just all need a button that says, "Ask me if I understand!"

 

 

Jan Potter, MSTC

Communications Specialist

Partnership for Health and Accountability

770-249-4549

www.gha.org/pha <http://www.gha.org/pha>  

 

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

 

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