Counseling patients with low health literacy

Q: A recent report from the Institute of Medicine indicates that the health literacy of the average American is low and that health care professionals use too much medical jargon when they communicate with patients. I want to provide more effective education and counseling for my patients both orally and with written materials in my pharmacy practice. What are some methods that will help me achieve this goal? A: Health care information can be very complicated even for the most educated consumer. To effectively educate and counsel patients, pharmacists must know their audience and identify each patient’s health literacy skills and language barriers. Pharmacists must have strong communication skills and customize the approach to counseling and educating each patient. What is health literacy? Literacy, as defined by the U.S. National Literacy Act, is an individual’s ability to read, write, and speak English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.1