Check out these past "In Other Words" columns
Making health information clear is not always easy. Getting this information to the people who need it can be even harder. Sometimes, the best way of doing both is to form a community coalition.
(On Call, 06/05/08)
When Bill Smith, EdD, was working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, he and colleagues faced the challenge of educating people in a rural village about malaria.
(On Call, 05/08/08)
Imagine what it's like to be suddenly injured or ill. You or your family member calls 911. EMTs arrive and take you to the nearest ER or ED. You or someone in your family is given a lot of paperwork, including HIPAA notification.
(On Call, 04/10/08)
Some days, his tools are a stethoscope and prescription pad. Other days, they include a microphone and guitar. But whichever tool he is using, Mache Seibel, MD, is actively educating people about health and wellness.
(On Call, 03/20/08)
Your grandmother has arthritis and is desperately seeking a cure. She recalls reading that someone (she can't remember who) in some newspaper (she can't recall which one) said that shark cartilage is helpful.
(On Call, 02/28/08)
Not only can active listening help identify gaps in understanding, but it can also pinpoint cognitive or performance problems.
(On Call, 01/31/08)
You just walked ten minutes each way to pick up four needed items at the grocery store. Now that you're home, you realize you forgot one of them.
(On Call, 01/10/08)
What does a pint of ice cream have to do with health literacy? Quite a lot, according to Barry D. Weiss, MD, who is professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
(On Call, 12/11/07)
The only way to know for sure whether patients understand how to properly use their medication is by asking.
(On Call, 11/20/07)
These bulletin boards on topics as wide-ranging as firework safety, hand washing, immunizations, and health literacy are fun and unique.
(On Call, 10/23/07)
Health numeracy includes a broad spectrum of abstract quantitative concepts. Risk and probability are examples of concepts that many people have trouble picturing and understanding.
(On Call, 09/19/07)
Numerous studies have shown that very few patients (considerably less than half) ever discuss traditional or non-prescribed remedies with their healthcare providers.
(On Call, 08/21/07)
Most of us in healthcare choose to do this work because we care about people and want to help others. But should illness or injury happen, and we become the ones who need care, our perspectives may radically change.
(On Call, 07/24/07)
Patients, not providers, are ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of their own chronic condition. But figuring out what to do and being consistent about doing it is hard for almost everyone.
(On Call, 06/26/07)
Oddly enough, health literacy came to mind when I recently visited the elephant house at the Chicago Zoological Society's Brookfield Zoo.
(On Call, 05/29/07)
Healthcare providers and patients alike may struggle to communicate clearly, and both can walk away from conversations unsure about whether they understand what was said or were understood themselves.
(On Call, 05/10/07)
William Shrank, MD, MSHS, knows a lot about healthcare costs, especially the copays (out-of-pocket expenses) that patients spend on prescription medications.
(On Call, 4/24/07)
