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Saturday, 16 November 2013
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to list two modes of health literacy knowledge acquisition.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to list two topics that health care providers overestimate their health literacy knowledge on.
This study sought to determine if Family Community Medicine providers’ (including medical assistants, nursing, residents, mid-levels, and physicians) acquisition of health literacy knowledge was based on true scientific knowledge (response to question based upon information from textbook, scientific experiment, or conference) or impressionistic knowledge (response to question based upon information from experience with patients, personal life, beliefs, or guess). The conceptual model developed by Paasche-Orlow & Wolf (2007) organizes the information known about health literacy into a conceptual model that depicts the effects of limited health literacy on health outcomes and addresses the complexity of health literacy at three distinct points along a continuum of health outcomes (access and utilization of health care, patient-provider relationship, and self-care). This project focused on the patient-provider relationship continuum point at the point of the providers’ knowledge of health literacy. A one-group pre/post survey design was used to assess health care providers’ health literacy knowledge. Participants were asked to complete an online pre-education survey, participate in a one-hour long education program, and complete an online post-education survey. General knowledge questions and acquisition of knowledge questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Fischer’s Exact test. The relationship between the pre-education survey responses and the 2 modes of knowledge acquisition will be provided. Findings included that healthcare providers had varying levels of health literacy knowledge and that when health care providers answered questions that were “personal” in nature they often said the reason for their incorrect answer was based on scientific knowledge. This false sense of knowledge may demonstrate a need for change in the educational modality used to educate on these “personal” topics related to health literacy.