RT Book, Section
A1 Rorvig, Leah B.
A1 Chodos, Anna H.
A1 Sudore, Rebecca L.
A2 Walter, Louise C.
A2 Chang, Anna
A2 Chen, Pei
A2 Harper, G. Michael
A2 Rivera, Josette
A2 Conant, Rebecca
A2 Lo, Daphne
A2 Yukawa, Michi
SR Print(0)
ID 1180019664
T1 Optimizing Care of Older Adults with Limited Health Literacy
T2 Current Diagnosis & Treatment Geriatrics, 3e
YR 2021
FD 2021
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781260457087
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1180019664
RD 2024/04/24
AB Health  literacy  is  defined  as  “the  degree  to  which  individuals  have  the  capacity  to  obtain,  process,  and  understand  basic  health  information  and  services  to  make  appropriate  health  decisions.”  The  construct  of  health  literacy  is  complex.  Limited  health  literacy  (LHL)  is  thought  to  occur  at  or  below  an  eighth-grade  reading  level.  However,  health  literacy  not  only  involves  reading  and  writing  skills,  but  also  listening  and  verbal  communication  skills  and  computational  or  numeracy  skills  required  for  such  tasks  as  pill  counting  or  insulin  dosing.  Language  barriers  also  contribute  to  LHL,  and  the  number  of  foreign-born,  older  adults  in  the  United  States  who  have  limited  English  proficiency  is  growing  (see  Chapter  78,  “Unique  Needs  of  Older  Immigrants”).  Health  literacy  is  also  affected  by  the  health  care  environment,  which  places  a  heavy  burden  on  patients  to  manage  their  own  complex  disease  processes  and  health  care  benefits.