Poster Board Number: 9
Title: Enabling Clients to Ask Questions: A Comprehensive Approach to Health Literacy
Objective:
1. Describe the "Ask Me" patient advocacy tool
2. Use the "Ask Me" framework to design disease specific education modules
3. Understand how "Ask Me" can be used to produce a comprehensive health literacy movement
Methods: Our target population are university hospital's patients from Essex County, including 49% from Newark and 17% from East Orange, Irvington, and Orange who lack basic literacy skills. An even higher proportion of the population falls into the category of lacking basic health literacy than the proportion that lacks basic literacy. According to the Census Bureau, 1 in 4 Newark residents speak English less than very well. Furthermore, 35% of the population over age 25 has less than a high school diploma. The hypothesis here is to engage the patients more in their health care delivery by encouraging them to ask questions of their health care providers and providing them with specific tools to do so. Improved communication between patients and providers has a positive impact on patient outcome, while decreasing cost in the long term.
Results: Ninety-four percent of the 241 nursing staff at the university hospital who received training on patient advocacy using "Ask Me" reported that they will use the clear communication technique discussed in their everyday interactions with patients.
Conclusion: Creation of materials from readily available health education information and integration of this comprehensive approach to “Ask Me 3” in the university hospital would translate into better health outcome of its patients.
Authors: Makhdum Ahmed, Health Literacy Consultant; Sarat Munjuluri, Health Literacy Consultant; George F. Smith Library; University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ