- OXFORD LIBRARY OF PSYCHOLOGY
- [UNTITLED]
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editors
- Contributors
- From Communication to Healthy Behavior and Adherence
- Barriers and Keys to Treatment Adherence and Health Behavior Change
- Health Literacy and Information Exchange in Medical Settings
- The Role of Nonverbal Communication in Medical Interactions: Empirical Results, Theoretical Bases, and Methodological Issues
- The Art of Medical Information Exchange
- Partnering with and Involving Patients
- Training for Effective Communication in Healthcare Settings
- Beyond the Dyad: Communication in Triadic (and more) Medical Encounters
- Systemwide Communication
- Health Beliefs and Health Outcomes
- Perceived Risk and its Relationship to Health-Related Decisions and Behavior
- Readiness to Change and the Transtheoretical Model as Applied to Addictive Disorders: A Balanced Appraisal
- Social Comparison and Persuasion Processes in Health Communications
- The Role of Culture in Promoting Effective Clinical Communication, Behavior Change, and Treatment Adherence
- Commitment to Change: An Examination of the Maintenance of Health-Behavior Changes
- Social Networks, Social Support, and Health-Related Behavior
- Technology and Implications for Patient Adherence
- Social and Environmental Barriers to Adherence and Healthy Behavior
- Improving Team Communication for Better Health Behavior
- The Importance of Effective Measurement for Fostering Change
- Pediatric Adherence and Health Behavior Change
- Issues in Adolescent Adherence and Health-Behavior Change
- Issues in Aging, Adherence, and Health-Behavior Change
- Adherence and Health Behavior Change in the Context of Mental Health Challenges
- Managing Complex Regimens: The Psychological Context of Family Management of Pediatric Diabetes
- Health Communication: Implications for Reform and Public Policy
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
This essay describes health literacy as the range of skills that individuals need to optimally function in the healthcare setting, as well as the interplay between these literacy skills and the literacy-related demands and expectations of an increasingly complex healthcare environment. The connection between limited health literacy and health outcomes is reviewed, with an emphasis on how limited health literacy contributes to health disparities. The essay introduces the concept of bidirectional communication to frame the discussion about challenges associated with interactive communication in the medical setting, then describes strategies for effective communication, including the use of “universal precautions” or plain language for all as a means of effectively communicating information to patients, the importance of avoiding jargon, and the central role of ensuring comprehension. Finally, the chapter introduces newer areas of interest including numeracy and medication safety.
Keywords: health communication, health literacy, numeracy, doctor-patient communication, teach-back
Debra B. Keller, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at San Francisco, General Hospital, University of California San Francisco.
Urmimala Sarkar MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Residence at UCSF in the Division of General Internal Medicine and a primary care physician at San Francisco General Hospital’s General Medicine Clinic.
Dean Schillinger, M.D. is Professor of Medicine in Residence at the University of California San Francisco, and Chief of the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH).
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- OXFORD LIBRARY OF PSYCHOLOGY
- [UNTITLED]
- Oxford Library of Psychology
- About the Editors
- Contributors
- From Communication to Healthy Behavior and Adherence
- Barriers and Keys to Treatment Adherence and Health Behavior Change
- Health Literacy and Information Exchange in Medical Settings
- The Role of Nonverbal Communication in Medical Interactions: Empirical Results, Theoretical Bases, and Methodological Issues
- The Art of Medical Information Exchange
- Partnering with and Involving Patients
- Training for Effective Communication in Healthcare Settings
- Beyond the Dyad: Communication in Triadic (and more) Medical Encounters
- Systemwide Communication
- Health Beliefs and Health Outcomes
- Perceived Risk and its Relationship to Health-Related Decisions and Behavior
- Readiness to Change and the Transtheoretical Model as Applied to Addictive Disorders: A Balanced Appraisal
- Social Comparison and Persuasion Processes in Health Communications
- The Role of Culture in Promoting Effective Clinical Communication, Behavior Change, and Treatment Adherence
- Commitment to Change: An Examination of the Maintenance of Health-Behavior Changes
- Social Networks, Social Support, and Health-Related Behavior
- Technology and Implications for Patient Adherence
- Social and Environmental Barriers to Adherence and Healthy Behavior
- Improving Team Communication for Better Health Behavior
- The Importance of Effective Measurement for Fostering Change
- Pediatric Adherence and Health Behavior Change
- Issues in Adolescent Adherence and Health-Behavior Change
- Issues in Aging, Adherence, and Health-Behavior Change
- Adherence and Health Behavior Change in the Context of Mental Health Challenges
- Managing Complex Regimens: The Psychological Context of Family Management of Pediatric Diabetes
- Health Communication: Implications for Reform and Public Policy
- Index